eternal glory
by ravioliformuolix
Summary: The interhouse tournament isn't just gamorized, it's gorified. And with the Lightwoods, Magnus Bane, Simon Lewis, and Clary Fray in the running it is about to be legendary. Who will be chosen, and who will make it out unscathed?
1. Chapter 1

"Glory." Magnus' velvety voice lowered, his lids drooping in the most serious expression someone like Magnus Bane could even produce and his brown eyes roamed the small crowd, captivating them in a way only his charm could. Izzy already had an eyebrow shot up in a look that expressed both humor and good-natured annoyance, but she knew that if she stopped him in the middle of what looked like a well-rehearsed mockery, he would only elaborate further in the near future. Alec, who was seated on the desk just behind Magnus, with his legs open just enough for Magnus body to fit in the space allotted, standing with ease, already had his eyes closed and a small smile dotting on his pale lips. After years of knowing and then consequently dating Magnus Bane he could somewhat predict what events would happen in relation to one another. And after the albeit cliché speech Crouch had just delivered to a room full of fresh-faced, brash wizards it was really only a matter of time until Magnus sunk his teeth into that gold mine of comedy. At this point, Alec's only option was to ride it out, and laugh along because in reality, Crouch's proposal did seem a bit daft.

"No wait- _eternal_ glory, a cash prize, and probable death, it's like Merlin himself invented this event." Alec's form rumbled with laughter, although audibly nothing passed his lips. If Magnus weren't so close he probably would have missed it, but due to their proximity he could even hear the softer patter of his boyfriend's heartbeat as the back of his head currently rested on the left side of his strong chest. It was comforting, but seeing as who their friends were, silence enough to hear any background noise was a fleeting and futile search.

Jace was the first to speak up, his body leaning against the table across from Magnus, eyes alight with challenge since the great hall meeting. "You're just scared. If this had happened a year ago the competition would have been drastically less challenging. But with me in the running? You don't stand a chance, Bane." He said it with a smirk. Although at first Jace and Magnus held a mutual livid displeasure, over the years they had come to find a truly worthy opponent of each other. Something the two competitive boys decided was a close-knit friendship and ended almost every time with a groan from Alec, and a bet from Izzy and Simon as to who would emerge victorious. This tournament, whatever Crouch had called it seemed to be the perfect challenge for Jace, and his body was literally buzzing with excitement.

"He's got a point, Magnus." It was Izzy who had piped up, surprisingly. Upon their first introduction, Izzy and Magnus had hit it off, what with their all their similarities colliding- fashion, make-up, general care & upkeep of Alec's well-being- and usually in these testosterone match-offs she'd choose team Magnus to root for. Even if about 30% of the time it was just to piss her blonde brother off. Magnus inspected at her with a sharp mixture of surprise and betrayal, Jace's gloat not easing the pain in the slightest.

"You don't stand a chance. Because _I'm_ winning." She smiled confidently, her posture literally radiating the stance of a winner-even if she was sitting. Izzy was the epitome of an unbeatable challenge, both physically and mentally. There wasn't a race she wouldn't enter, and not a chance she couldn't win. Not from lack of apprehension from the elder spectrum of the Lightwood family (Magnus' favorite end).

"Except that you're not even playing." From behind Magnus, Alec's deep voice rumbled. "You heard Crouch, the reason the tournament was disbanded previously was because someone _died_ , Iz. Like, real, and possible death from a competition. You're not even old enough they said sixte- _shit_." Alec sighed, dropping his face into the top of Magnus head, a strange mixture between a sigh and groan flooding through Magnus' hair as realization dawned on Alec. Izzy's birthday was in a few days. Just before the 'champions' were to be picked. Izzy beamed, and crossed her legs as if she could display her defiance and lack of submission to Alec's rules. She had this figured out to the T, the minor detail of age being easily evaded by something that wreaked of luck. Alec knew as well as she did no one could stop her once she put her mind to something, and a chance to publicly kick-ass had Isabelle Lightwood written all over it in gold ink.

"This is the birthday present that keeps on giving!" She laughed musically, and subtly he could see Jace nod along with pride. If Jace had been born with black hair, from the start Magnus would have assumed Izzy and Jace were twins. They had the same tall, lean build, the same wild spark in their eye that proclaimed unpredictability, and of course, were both Gryffindors who took 'bravery' as brash. They hyped each other up to the point where Magnus could understand where Alec's 'big-brother' protectiveness came from. If he wasn't there to extinguish their fires, the whole word would have burned by now. To Magnus it was positively entertaining, but he knew how much this uneased his love. Already, Alec was soliloquy deep into some 'older brother' speech that Magnus had tuned out, on account of Jace and Izzy's light patter of laughter. Eventually Alec just gave up, throwing his hands up in defeat until promptly returning them to the upper skin of Magnus' arms. Even now his touch was still electrifying, but Magnus tried to keep his head in the game, so to speak.

"Fine, go nuts, kill yourselves for twenty minutes in the spotlight, you realize we'll have plenty of time to do thick-headed, and potentially dangerous stuff when we join the order right?" That peaked their collective interest. Being a seventh year, Magnus was really only a year away from that future. A future of night missions, and finally being a soldier in a war he was thrust into. A future of control, and the ability to change what everyone said couldn't be fazed, and a future of you-know-who's destruction. It was a pleasant fortune to say the least. This was probably the wildest thing Alec had ever approved of, but seeing as how it was also incredibly selfless and heroic, he could see where the appeal lay in his altruistic Alexander. But Izzy only tsk'ed in disapproval at his previous notion.

"Alec, that's two years away for Jace and I, you really think I can sit still for that long? I can't even sit still long enough to make it to lunch." And she had a point. Asking his siblings to wait two years for adventure was like asking a pipe bomb to wait an hour after hitting zero-impossible, and fatally dangerous.

"Alec you have to at least put your name in for the running, you could totally kick ass if you won." She continued. This was another joint-attribute of Alec's younger siblings, their ability to rope Alec into their situation of choice. He would follow them into hell if they so much as looked at him pleadingly, and now was no exception. Above all, Magnus knew Alec's siblings just wanted to see the hazel eyed boy succeed, and sometimes a push was actually the right move in the chess match that is Alec's life.

"No way I'm signing up for that shit-show." But of course with Alexander it always took some persuading. Light persuading, but persuading nonetheless.

" _Potential_ shit-show-" Jace corrected. "-And yes, yes you are. We're all signing up together."

Alec rolled his eyes, and realizing the uncharacteristic silence from his boyfriend decided to throw Magnus into the lime light of this interrogation. "And you? I'll 'sign up' or whatever if you will too." It wasn't really an ultimatum, the chances Magnus wouldn't sign up for something like this was not a winning hand, and in reality Alec really just wanted to hear Magnus' take on the situation. Even if it was eerily similar to his sibling's opinion.

"Alexander, you know I love a challenge." And with that he winked, causing another hazel-hued eye roll from his boyfriend, and soft victory proclamation from Jace and Izzy. They were all going to do this. This tournament, whatever it was that one or more of them would potentially be thrown into, had Magnus feeling that familiar spark of excitement that came with the unpredictability of the situation. Collectively they began to pack up their things, the start of their third class imminent, Alec to runes, Magnus to charms, and Izzy and Jace to defense. The dispersal of their little group only making the decision more definite. The only thing he knew for sure as of now was that above all, this was going to be interesting.

"Three to one bet I win." Izzy added before leaving the room in a flourish of confidence and long legs, followed by Jace's trail of objections. They walked faster than the couple behind, Magnus allowing their forms to disappear around the corner before making an exit with his boyfriend. Alec wrapped an arm lazily around Magnus' shoulders as they too crossed the threshold, his sigh lightening the weight of his words, and a small smile playing on those pale lips that drove Magnus crazy.

"What did I just get myself into?"

Magnus' own lips had pressed into the slender fingers that were currently around his shoulders, and a breathy laugh escaped them. "Nothing good, _but_ potentially entertaining." And Alec just shrugged, following his boyfriend down the steps and out to the courtyard. Oh yes, this was definitely going to be interesting.


	2. Chapter 2

All week it had been non-stop buzz about the tournament. As soon as the cup had been revealed in the second floor chambers it was as if any conversation that didn't start with "goblet" and end with "compete" was obsolete in the eyes of Hogwarts youth. Some first years had even taken to camping out along the outer rim of the age line, cheering on the nameless and faceless people that passed through it, regardless of the fact they were five years away from any chance of actually participating.

Clary herself found the hype bittersweet; it was nice to see the excitement surge its way through the halls of Hogwarts but sometimes it was just overbearing. Clary and Lydia, one of her closest friends, had entered their names based solely on principle. Lydia was always up for an adventure, and her sharp mind would keep her ahead of any curve and Clary just liked the idea of competing in something so challenging. She would have taken a trivia tournament if it had arisen, but seeing as how the only opportunity for hot-headed decision making was the burning cup of fire at the end of the hall, she took it.

In the same sense, the tournament was almost like a party. Hell, some of the students had taken the chance to do just that. Isabelle Lightwood, a fellow Gryffindor a year younger than Clary had a birthday party that would have probably lost Gryffindor the house cup for years to come just because she was now officially old enough to compete. It had started as something small but everyone knows the Lightwoods take 'go big or go home' to its greatest extent. If any of it had been legal, Clary was sure it would have made its way into Hogwarts: A History.

The very next day after the festivities, there she was, standing all muscles and definition next to her model-like family as one by one they entered the race. Izzy first of course, all smiles and blossoming confidence, followed by the blonde Clary had made eye-contact with a few times, only to look away as fast as possible as his perturbing eyes only made her more entranced. He had a rough demeanor, one that preached a certain 'don't fuck with me' attitude, and the fact he was always huddled around two equally intimidating Greek-god looking family members didn't soften the edges.

Together the two fifth years had pushed their brother to the front, who was throwing out objections left and right but genuinely smiling playfully as they helped throw his small parchment into the flames. It glowed emerald for a second before Alec escaped their restraints and started to playfully push his brother around. Alone, Alec Lightwood looked like a dangerous storm, all dark eyebrows and a resting scowl, but around his family he seemed brighter. Not less intimidating, just more… approachable.

Last but not least was Magnus Bane, Ravenclaw genius who was almost always found somewhere in the Lightwood pack (9 times out of 10 that Lightwood was Alec). He flicked his parchment in as if he were throwing out gum, and returned to his boyfriend, his arm wrapping around him as he whispered something that made dark eyebrows laugh out loud, and blonde-model roll his eyes. It was a spectacle all in its own, but as a posse they never seemed to care much what others said or thought of them.

Lydia knew Alec Lightwood fairly well, as they were both pure-bloods, sixth year Slytherins, and genuinely good people, so as the group walked by, Lydia called out to Alec.

"Did Alec Lightwood really just volunteer for the same tournament he spent three hours complaining about last night?" Her eyebrow was shot up, and her pale lips forming a taunting smile as Alec blushed lightly at the accusation.

"Well, when nearly everyone in my immediate friend group has already pledged themselves to a slow, and public death, I look like the bad friend with my life still peacefully intact, Ms. Put Her Name In On The First Day." Alec shrugged at his words, as if it were blatantly obvious that he spoke the gospel of truth. His eyes shown with humor, something the objective observer would have never noticed if Alec were in class or away from people he felt comfortable around.

"Hey they're offering a 1000 galleons to publicly make an ass out of myself, I usually just do that for free so this is really a win-win." Blonde-Zeus spoke up this time, playfully nudging his brother who just rolled his hazel eyes in response. Alec also added a one-finger response as well, but that was just met by a roar of laughter from his siblings. Even Clary giggled, not entirely sure where her footing was in the group, but enjoying their carefree ambiance regardless. Technically she knew Alec from Lydia. When Clary and Lydia had first become friends, Lydia had had a little crush on the eldest Lightwood, which resulted in a more than usual amount of time spent between the three of them during their first year. As soon as Alec had met Magnus, and it had become somewhat public that his type was more Ravenclaw and styled, Lydia and Alec fell into an easy kind of friendship. They talked freely about everything and anything, including Magnus and the signals Alec could not decode. Clary and Alec got along, but that was far to say that they were besties. In fact, she was probably closer with Magnus Bane, who she had had a limited number of conversations with, but still considered him a good friend. He was always cheery, and that was something she felt comfortable around.

It was him who spoke up now, a coy Cheshire-cat smile gracing his lips, and his chocolate hues roaming towards Clary. "And apparently Clary has her eye on that galleon prize as well, so I'd tread with caution."

Clary laughed lightly in response, "yeah, I'm just here to make sure Lydia doesn't do anything too reckless-alone." Lydia shrugged with a happy smile, not retaliating in the slightest. In truth, they were both the rational friend and the hot-headed one, it really just depended on the season. Technically Clary was more of a mastermind for adventure, but Lydia was no foreigner to fun. That's what made their friendship so easy, they were smart but bold, a perfect Gryffindor-Slytherin mix. The galleon prize didn't entice her nearly as much as the opportunity to be tested.

"I'm actually pretty sure Izzy's parchment here just ate mine in the cup." Clary added with a smirk. The redhead had no doubt even Izzy's parchment held the same suave and confidence as the writer did, and if the cup had even a dash of common sense, it would shoot out the perfectly scrawled 'Isabelle Lightwood' from its fire. But Izzy just grinned, that brightened spark in her eye both empowering and a little unsettling. She had a fleeting flash of panic for what that spark could lead to. 'This is what it must feel like to be Alec Lightwood' Clary thought briefly to herself.

"Listen regardless of whose name comes out of the gold and red flames, Gryffindor is winning this year and you can take that-" She tapped Alec, Magnus, and Lydia lightly "-to Gringotts."

Lydia laughed breathily, although at first a bit shaky, Izzy and Lydia had also grown to be fast friends. They were nowhere as close as Alec and Lydia, but by the general rule of knowing someone so close to someone else they were familiar with each other's style. They were both strong, independent, and take charge people so while they occasionally butted heads, Clary knew Lydia held nothing but respect and comradery for Izzy. Even now, Lydia was ready for the attack, accepting the challenge and rebutting it with her own.

"Oh don't worry Iz, Alec and I will let you come to the Slytherin victory parties once we win." But Alec just held his hands up with a laugh, "Hey I'm don't drag me into this."

"It's so sad to see confidence so misplaced." The blonde added with a fake frown for affect.

"Jace the only thing misplaced is that trophy, seeing as how it's not currently in our dormitory." Jace! That was the name Clary had forgotten. Well not so much forgotten as just never properly introduced, but the name suited him. It revealed almost nothing, just as Jace's demeanor did. He was confident sure, but that was just a Lightwood gene, not a breakthrough in scientific discovery. She knew he was technically adopted (genetically, mentally he was as Lightwood as they come), and that he excelled in both defense against the dark arts and runes. But besides textbook knowledge, Jace Lightwood was an enigma. And Merlin did Clary hate puzzles.

She looked at him now slyly, just out of the corner of her eye to see what his body language might give away, and was surprised to see him staring back. He had beautiful eyes, but that was no new information. From the day Jace stepped on campus, he had been the talk of the girl's dormitory-not that Clary blamed them. Physically, she was surprised he hadn't just become a muggle model, but his eyes were an anomaly of their own. He had one chocolate brown and full of mystery, and one blue, swirling with possibility like the sea. He seemed a bit surprised to meet Clary's direct eye line as well, and as she felt a slight blush rush her cheeks, she noticed his mouth moving in correlation to her.

"Not if Clary here has anything to say about it." Jace winked at Clary as the words fell freely from his parted lips, with Lydia just nodding in agreement next to her. While she loved competition, Lydia was also incredibly loyal to those she trusted, and she trusted Clary exponentially. Regardless of it that cup pit the two of them against each other, they would always work as a team; hyping each other up to the next step of the ladder.

What was a bit of a shock however, was the fact that Jace had just addressed her by name, and just openly winked at her. Yes, they did have mutual friends, and years of going to the same school on their side but one-on-one contact was a new development. She had referred to him as 'blonde Zeus' for years now, or 'the middle Lightwood' whenever he came up in discussion. But she didn't dwell further, determined not to make their first interaction one of unadulterated awkwardness due to first introductions.

"I mean the tournament cup will look nice next to our House cup…" Clary pretended to be deep in thought, a small, Cheshire-cat like smile playing at her lips as all the non-Gryffindors sighed in response. She saw Izzy beam, punching Alec lightly in the arm, and Alec pretend to rub his arm in mock-annoyance.

From there, the group started to make their parting goodbyes, Alec mentioning something about studying to Lydia, Izzy and Magnus drifting off into their own conversation, and Jace's intriguing eyes fell upon Clary again. She was determined not to look up again, afraid the red might pool in her cheeks, signaling she was some dotting school girl; a trope that had never fit her personality. She just smiled politely at the Lightwood clan as they left, turning to Lydia with a wild expression.

"I feel bad for the kids who have to face that." Clary decided as the girls collected their things to depart from the scene as well. Anyone going up against a Lightwood was going to have to say their prayers, because that family always plays to win.

But Lydia just pursed her lips, that happy ambiance of possibility lightening her step. The Lightwoods were the perfect friendly challenge to her, and as Jace and Izzy were in the same house, and Alec was in hers she would only get the chance to face one of them, at best. And Magnus, possibly, but that was enough to enthrall her. This was meant to be fun. Hard work with a lot of exhausting challenges, but fun regardless. And Lydia was determined to make it just that.

"Please! -We could take 'em."

A/N: hello and sorry for the delay! I have been updating my Ao3 but forgetting about ff so if you want to catch up without having to wait for my slow ass to convert everything to ff my user on AO3 is scottmchungup and I believe I am up to chapter 9 there. Hopefully I will get all the chapters up here by today though, so thanks for all the support!


	3. Chapter 3

In truth, Simon loved the idea of the tournament. It was like the Qudditich world cup, only for regular people and not guys who look like they just won a truck lifting contest-not that most of the players would know what a truck was. Not to be mistaken, Simon loved Qudditich as well, but the general build and physique of the players was a bit biased in his opinion.

The tournament however, was for students. Regular Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs that you might pass in the halls on the way to charms or such. They were people- people with a certain death wish and a flair for the dramatics, but people nonetheless. And with who his friend group is, the latter description was actually just standard. The tournament just showcased attributes that were already present.

Simon in no way believed he would be chosen, not by a long shot, but the possibility to cheer on his friends was absolutely entrancing. Maureen, one of his closest Hufflepuff friends was deadly set on winning the cup. Not just for the money, or for the glory, but to prove to the world that she could do it. She had always been like that- empowered, and it pleased Simon that she finally had found an outlet. A strange outlet, but entreating at the least. Realistically, Hufflepuff had a fairly good chance of winning it all this year. Their seventh years especially were bright, resourceful, and powerful, and if Hufflepuff had any chance of winning, it was with someone like Raphael Santiago, or any number of his strong, strangely intimidating friends. Having lived with the kids for five years now, Simon was no longer anxious to see them around, but rather greeted them with as if they were family-and in a strange sense they became something like them. More and more he would find himself drifting to their tables, their conversations and just enter them as if he belonged, and he did. He laughed at the notion that he used to be afraid of them, but with their hulk and build he could see where first year Simon was coming from. But now they were his friends, so maybe to some strange freshman he held the same mystique as his squad. It felt nice to have such a reliable friend group, but the aftertaste was all too sour as he realized most of them would be leaving within the year.

But that thought was one of the many whispers in the back of Simon's buzzing mind as he took a seat at the yellow and black dressed great hall tables. Raphael sat to his right, talking of something vaguely order-based, and Maureen to his right with dark eyes transfixed on the podium Dumbledore was walking up to. If Hogwarts weren't so shock-resistant, Simon was sure they would all be feeling Maureen buzz in her seat as the background chatter came to an end, and the ceremony began. This was the talk of the school, and this was the big moment, but damn did a shiny drinking-glass know how to command a room.

"Welcome to the beginnings of the interhouse tournament!" Dumbledore greeted in that rumbling voice that reverberated through every nook and cranny of the school. A generous applause followed this introduction, and Simon muttered something about a 'reaping' he knew his wizard-born friends wouldn't understand. Honestly, for all their magic one would think they would have shazam'ed up a DVD player and caught up on the last decade of history, but no. Every single Star Wars reference, or Lord of The Rings quip Simon blessed them with was only met with puzzled looks. It was infuriating that with such a plethora of information, they could still be so oblivious but somehow he managed to survive. Barely.

"Tonight is the night we decide our four champions-" and although this was meant to be more of a transition than a center-piece, the room exploded in a chaotic mess of cheers. The four tables in front of the bearded-leader shrieked and screamed their approval and excitement at the prospect of entertainment. It surged through every student's vocal cords, amplifying the energy, but with Dumbledore's respect at a school like Hogwarts, all noise was subdued with a simple hand raise. He continued as if the outburst was rehearsed.

"-Now I warn those who were brave enough to enter. The goblet's decision is final. By entering your name you have decided to participate if so-chosen. The tasks given will not be simple, and far from easy, but rewarding." 'Yeah, death is a pretty sick prize' Simon thought to himself. But clearly his opinion was the minority as he looked around at all the desire around him. Man if this is what they lost their shit for in the magic world, he could only imagine what a dodgeball tournament would end like in this dynamic. Lethal, probably, but according to Hogwarts that was the best type of challenge.

"The cup will choose four victors-One from Gryffindor" cue the ear-splitting, overbearing shouts from the far right side of the room, "one from Ravenclaw" a rival noise erupted from just next to Hufflepuff, "One from Hufflepuff" and this time Simon cheered. Call him a hypocrite, but not cheering for your house when the opportunity presented itself was as taboo as kicking a puppy. And Simon loved puppies.

From the left of him, Simon heard Slytherin's battle cry, and assumed Dumbledore had just mentioned the silver-and-emerald snakes.

Behind Dumbledore the goblet was brought out, glorious and fiery, its flames licking the air surrounding it in such a mystical, mesmerizing way, Simon finally remembered why he had even volunteered for this. Eventually he had decided that the whole 'possibility of death' thing was just like a liability waiver, and that the threat wasn't really that prominent. There was no way they would bring something dangerous to a bunch of eager, thick-headed kids, the student body of Hogwarts could usually supply that amount of liability of its own. But now, looking at the cup, he saw what he saw then-opportunity, in its barest form.

As the flames at the top of the chalice danced with color, Dumbledore continued on his soliloquy, mentioning something about glory, and experience and yada yada yada-the flames had now taken to a mixture of two battling colors-red and gold. Leave it to the lions to take the limelight from a speech about safety.

Simon's eyes left the cup and found the face of the girl who he shared a runes class with. She was a Lightwood, without even knowing her name he knew that. Even without glasses, even blind, anyone could see that. She was poised and pristine, but with a venomous edge. She looked both hard and soft at the same time, and every time he saw her smile, Simon realized that she could take him down in the best kind of way. Not that she would ever need to, considering one sour look from a girl like that would leave Simon powerless to do anything but her command. From the sparse words he'd shared with her, he knew she was also incredibly sharp-minded, and fleeting Simon found it somewhat unfair for so many perfections to be in one person.

Right now however, she seemed enthralled by the cup (no shocker). Her brother, the blonde one not the one who looked perpetually pissed off, mimicked her expression. They both held that same deadly concentration and longing for championship that almost had Simon cheering for Gryffindor. But just as their eyes alit with something that resembled a kid at Christmas, Dumbledore snatched a floating parchment from the air around the goblet. So it had begun….

"For Gryffindor our champion is…" cue the obligatory cliff hanger that Simon feared might kill the Lightwood siblings if they held their breaths any longer, "Clary Fray."

There was a slight moment of surprise that surged through the crowd but then a decent amount of applause rang out. A few girls from Slytherin screamed in approval, and the redhead's Gryffindor friends basically threw her on stage. At first glance, she was ghastly smaller than one would assume. She was about 90% fiery red hair, and then the remaining 10% was filled in somewhere around her 5'4 form. But she walked with purpose to the front, smiling brightly but also hesitatingly. Simon could only assume the white noise that must be plaguing her mind and he admired her bravery. From the limited information he knew about her, Simon respected her. She was smart and self-serving, and if she had volunteered, that clearly meant she believed in herself. She was a Gryffindor through and through, but what intrigued him most was the feeling that with Clary, there was so much more than meets the eye. Clary Fray seemed like an interesting choice.

Her moment was stolen as the flame took center stage again, this time a beautiful flurry of blue and silver- Ravenclaw. Simon was fairly close to a few Ravenclaws, especially the muggleborn ones, and he felt a small inkling of loyalty to that house. They were very welcoming to him, and if Hufflepuff didn't win, Simon would be all too complacent to give the trophy to someone as deserving as Ravenclaw. Now who from Ravenclaw had yet to be determined.

Dumbledore's slender fingers caught the next fortune, and with the elegance only Dumbledore could possess the next sacrifice-or 'champion' was chosen.

"For Ravenclaw…. Magnus Bane!" And the great hall lost their shit (figuratively, thank god). All around him the hall cheered, and cheered with emphasis. Even if Simon hadn't heard of him before, he didn't have to be a detective to figure out that Magnus Bane was a popular figure at the school, and clearly a loved one at that. Even Slytherin, who was pretty loyal to supporting their house, and their house alone was adding to the white noise as the fan-favorite made his way to the front. He smiled broadly like a movie-star might, basking in the attention and encouragement. He gave a wink to somewhere in the left side of the room, and waved as he continued on to his spot next to Clary.

Magnus fucking Bane. Simon felt bad for anyone having to compete against that. Not that he was doubting a girl he had heard powerful things about, but Magnus Bane was about as good as it gets. Not just in the classroom, but in practice. He was one of the only wizards to have produced a patronus while still in schooling, and with the years passing by, he only got stronger. Magnus Bane would have been the Hogwarts champion if the cup could have chosen a single person, and honestly Simon would understand if Dumbledore just wanted to call off announcing the rest of the names- Magnus fucking Bane already had this one in the bag.

But clearly the cup didn't get the Magnus-memo, and suddenly emerald and silver flames blazed with passion. The rumble was still dying down from the earthquake that is Magnus Bane's popularity, but had altogether been smothered by the time Dumbledore had even opened his mouth with the next proclamation.

"And our Slytherin champion is…" classic Dumbledore pause for affect, "Alexander Lightwood."

-Who the hell was Alexander? And apparently he wasn't the only one thinking that. Only a few voices had shouted their support, the Gryffindor Lightwoods and a few spotted voices here and there. And then, a figure rose from the Slytherin table, and it was as if they were in a Harlem Shake video and the beat just dropped. The noise was deafening, and Simon realized with a pang who exactly Alexander Lightwood was-Alec. AKA brother of the destructo-twins. AKA boyfriend of Magnus fucking Bane.

Maureen next to him expressed what he assumed the whole hall was feeling with a simple "no way!" and Alec took long, lengthy, seemingly unwanted steps to the front. His boyfriend was beaming, with a Cheshire-cat like smile on his face and he reached out for the newcomers hand as Alec whispered something to Magnus. Magnus laughed, and when Alec turned, cheeks rosy with embarrassment at the rush of attention, Simon could blatantly see that this had not been on Alec's bucket list. Magnus seemed to be trying to talk him down from something, but the words were lost in the chaos of events that had preceded this. Even when the flames lit up again the chatter didn't stop. A couple competing against each other was preposterous but a Lightwood and Magnus freaking Bane? That was some star-crossed lovers, Hunger Games shit and Simon could see where the thrill was for the rest of them. He'd have to remember to ask for some popcorn from home because this just got reality TV real.

If the remaining champions weren't screwed before, now it was a matter of giving it to one of the members of the power-couple. Having known of them for years now, Simon knew that they would go to impossible lengths for each other and if one succeeded, the other was right there rising to the top as well, so really it was just a matter of time until one of them won and agreed to share the victory with the other. They were both muscular and quick as a whip when it came to hexes and jinxs, the perfect lethal duo to take this competition and still have enough time to make it to Qudditich practice.

But it was Hufflepuff's turn to be exposed now, and Simon prayed to whoever was listening that Raphael or Maureen would be chosen. If Hufflepuff was going to win, they would need a hail-Mary to defeat the Lightwood-Bane enterprise, and while Raphael and Magnus were actually pretty close friends, Simon knew Hufflepuff only really had two powerful options on their path to victory. Raphael could easily match Magnus' craftiness with a wand, but now it was Alec, the dark horse, who they'd have to watch out for. In the back of his mind, a voice actually pleaded against Raphael's name being called. Raphael already had a job lined up with the curse breaker department in Asia, and was mere months from the beginning of his life, something Simon didn't want cut short by some tournament. Even if the tournament wasn't as deadly as initially proposed, losing would put Raphael in a sour mood for decades to come. And with Raphael's already constant sour mood, Simon could only picture that foreseeable future. Not that Simon thought his friend couldn't emerge victorious it was just… come on, it was Magnus and Alec.

Distantly, Simon heard his name being called by a raspy voice that sounded eerily like the Headmaster's. Being so deep in thought and worry for his house, he disregarded it, continuing on all the things Raphael had left to live for and what Maureen could do instead of grueling physical and mental challenges. Learn an instrument, for one, as it was oddly scary how wizards even relied on magic for something their fingers could do with ease.

It wasn't until Raphael hit his arm, and Maureen death-gripped his shoulder that he was brought back down to planet Earth. Why was the room so loud, and why in the name of Merlin was everyone looking at him? Had he missed the Hufflepuff announcement? Obviously, by the cheers, but the perturbing eyes just threw him off track. Shouldn't they be watching the champion?

Did he have something on his face? Did he accidentally say one of those things that was supposed to just be a thought, not a verbal comment?

Rough hands pushed him up, and his legs started walking towards the front. With a haunting realization, Simon understood where his legs were taking him. To the front. Where Clary and the boy-wonder partnership stood. He thought about turning around but that strange sparkle in Dumbledore's eye finally gave Simon the clarity he needed. Now he understood why he was walking to the front, and why Hufflepuff chanting his name. And with every thudding step, only one thought played over and over in his head like a broken record: shit. The comic relief always dies first.


	4. Chapter 4

"So…" Izzy started, but soon let the rest of the sentence fall into oblivion. Words seemed almost obsolete now, and for someone as talkative as Izzy, that was worrisome in its own. Jace and herself had been sitting on the great hall tables since the crowd had left, leaving only a few students doting around the room and far from earshot of their conversation. Not that it would have mattered regardless, they'd barely shared three words between the two of them.

She had been gnawing at her lip, eyes transfixed on a spot seemingly in the heavens for what felt like years now, and Jace, uncharacteristically hadn't said a word. She had tried to break the deafening silence but her words seemed to fall into a vortex as they tumbled from parted, pristine lips. Silence was a new addition to Jace and Izzy's relationship. She hated it.

But apparently the previous transition was all Jace needed to be snapped back into pre-ceremony Jace, and already his motor mouth was sailing to new directions.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking right? That this is sorta, in some ways kind of our fault? I mean come on, of course the cup was going to pick Magnus, we should've seen that coming, we should've just let Alec bitch about it until he eventually bitched at Magnus about it for even entering."

Izzy knew Jace was trying to alleviate the situation with a joke and sarcastic commentary, but even she couldn't shake that nasty guilt-ridden ambiance that surrounded the pair. It had been them to push Alec. Both literally and figuratively, and now… well now she could only imagine the scowl their brother was giving Magnus. Alec wanted no part in the competition from the start, which ironically left him as the competition. Really it would be poetic if it didn't feel so shitty.

"but…" Jace continued on, his multi-colored eyes roaming the room in front of him as if calculating his words visibly. "But maybe this is good for him? You know he doesn't do much, just Quidditch and Magnus"- Izzy rolled her eyes at that one, it was too easy of a set-up really, Jace was slacking- "So maybe some friendly competition will I don't know, inspire him."

Again, Izzy could basically feel Jace trying to assuage his guilt, and maybe if she weren't in the same sinking ship as he was, she'd call him out on it. But just as she was, Izzy knew that her brother was just trying to help. Same as he always was. While he may not be blood, there was absolutely no denying that the three of them were siblings, and even that seemed to lax of a word. They loved each other fiercely, and unapologetically, and while sometimes they may push each other too far (okay Izzy and Jace push Alec too far) it is all done with a genuine strive to help one another.

"Or, he'll never speak to us again." Izzy said it with a sarcastic finality, as if that were an actual possibility. Realistically that could never leave the realm of fiction. Like it or not the three of them were bonded for life.

"Speak for yourself, the last time Alec gave me the silent treatment it lasted an hour before I broke him." Izzy just gave her brother the one-fingered salute in response. She could physically feel the itch that was her own restlessness.

Technically they had figured out nothing in the matter of helping Alec, and maybe it was just her inability to sit still but those champions were taking their sweet time talking to Dumbledore in the chambers. She needed to see Magnus and her brother, gauge his persona and then assess from there. Maybe he was happy about it all? Unlikely, yes, but anything is possible right? …right?

Izzy let out a short, impatient groan and looked sideways at her pacing sibling. What do they do now? Cheer on from the sidelines? Isabelle Lightwood is not a cheerleader, she is a leader, period. But her brother always did have a way of changing her, and maybe in this case it was what was meant to happen. Who knows, maybe she would have been too amazing at a challenge like this. Maybe she would have made it look too easy. Or at least she'd let herself relish in that thought instead of the notion that the world just sometimes sucked.

Just as Jace was about to make his billionth pivot to start his incessant pacing again, the door towards the stage opened up. Both of the Lightwood siblings perked up, a laser-like focus going to the golden doors. But instead of a raven-haired Slytherin emerging, out walked the intriguing Hufflepuff from the ceremony. His glasses reflected the dim candlelit just so that Izzy couldn't determine whether his eyes shone or it was an optical illusion. She decided on the former, judging from the way that that kid was always smiling. However, giving more power to the latter, the fifth year marched towards the Hufflepuff table, bottom teeth grazing his upper lip in a way that strangely interested Izzy. She knew him from a class… which one, she wasn't sure, but she had seen his face before.

Before she could dwell too far on it however, the door thundered open again, and Izzy's focus begrudgingly left the Hufflepuff and back to center-stage. She crossed her arms, even getting up from the table in order to get in a better position to rush her brother if it were him that emerged, but yet again, it was a false alarm. Now the girl from their own house materialized.

From the little Izzy knew about her, she knew Clary Fray was powerful. As far as sixth years go, she was the most promising, and as much as Izzy would have loved to take the cup for Gryffindor herself, she found all her gusto going towards the small redhead. Well, all the gusto that wasn't reserved for her brother. Or her brother's boyfriend. Or the cute Hufflepuff…. Damn, Izzy did have a lot to sort through this tournament.

But she shook that thought from her mind, providing an encouraging smile to Clary as her jade green eyes landed on the Lightwoods. Or, more specifically, Izzy thought, Jace Lightwood. Izzy let a small smile tug at her lips as she excused herself out of what seemed to be an extremely personal moment and nearly had a heart attack when she realized Alec and Magnus had exited without her notice.

"Alec!" The volume at which she announced her brother's name even surprised her. Izzy let her steps quicken as she neared the comfort of a boy she loved so much, allowing herself to fall easily into his tall form. She felt his arms surround her after a few beats, and while she couldn't see his face, she could take a pretty good stab at what his emotions were right now.

"Izzy, are you alright?"

The question shocked her. Was she alright? Was she just accidentally chosen for a competition she had previously referred to as 'legal execution'? Was she the one going against the man she loved very much in a competition-a very public one at that? She removed her hands from where they had previously encased Alec's body, peering up at him with a strange reserve.

"Am I alr-Alec you know you're a champion right?" Mentally, Izzy kicked herself. While sarcasm was like a second language in their family, she highly doubted now was the appropriate use for it. His face was virtually unreadable, the usual scowl that seemed imprinted on his lips replaced by a strange impasse. Izzy didn't like not being able to read her brother, not one bit.

She looked at Magnus for guidance, but Magnus just shrugged, rolling his eyes in a 'don't look at me I'm asking the same questions' kind of look. He seemed exhausted, a strange look for the usually eccentric Magnus Bane and Isabelle had the urge to scream at them until someone told her what was going on.

Jace, luckily, came to the rescue.

"Alec you don't look so… Alec?"

Now his face was readable with a strange mixture of bemusement and playful hurt. The first real emotion expressed since his revival of sorts.

"Thanks, I guess?" He deadpanned.

"No, like, how are you doing with all this? Like, I-we, we're sorry man. We didn't mean to drag you in this war, we'll tell them you don't wanna play. Maybe Lydia can like-volunteer in your place or something, that's a thing right, we could do th-"

"No." Alec was usually one to let people finish, but his no had a strange resolve to it. It was like serrated steel to Jace's words, cutting through them with purpose and ease.

"The cup's decision is final. I have to play."

Izzy's heart dropped at his words. She could only tell from years of psycho-analyzing all of Alec's reactions that this-this weird indifference act- was just another poor coping method, and that clearly Alec was not as impartial as he'd like to come off. From the second they called his name Izzy could feel the mood switch, and she wished by any force of magic she could take that moment back.

What was a new edition to this crazy train however, was the fact that Magnus made a move to leave. Gently he kissed the side of Alec's cheek, whispering something so low even Izzy and her prying ears couldn't hear.

"You're leaving?" She asked, shock bouncing on her every syllable.

Magnus just looked at her with wide, tired eyes. The Magnus from the ceremony was completely gone. Gone with the theatrics, and the winks… something had gone down in that champions room and she knew it. Clary seemed frazzled as she exited. Simon, happy cute Hufflepuff Simon seemed like he forgot how to smile when he left, and Magnus and Alec were acting eerily morose.

"I have an early class tomorrow, I'll see you all at breakfast." He nodded respectively at each Lightwood as he parted, but Izzy's foreboding eyes followed the man until he rounded the corner past the door. She sighed, a powerful resolve settling in her russet brown eyes as she once again looked at the rough features of Alec's face. Gently, she placed a hand on his cheek, cupping it softly.

"You can tell me if something's wrong, you know that right?" And for a second, a mere millisecond, Alec fell into the embrace. Eyes closed, and the shadow of amenity breaching his features. But the moment left just as fast as it had come, and when Alec's eyes opened, he too made a move to leave.

"I'm pretty tired, I'm going to the dorms." He said it with no room for questioning, kissing his sister on the forehead and giving Jace a brotherly pat on the shoulder as he departed. Alec never left first. Alec loved to spend every moment he could with his family before having to leave them for the night, and his weird, secretive ambiance made Isabelle question the stability of Hogwarts itself.

Jace sighed, a few profanities slipping his lips on what the hell could be going on, but soon he too left. With his parting words- "honestly, a dull fork would be better at expressing emotions than Alec Lightwood." Izzy stomped her foot in annoyance at her family. This was a pivotal moment! Alec needed them, and they needed Alec too but no, everyone would rather play the 'I'm fine' game until someone blows up and it officially reached the level of shit-storm. Fine. If they wanna take it there she'll play along, but when Alec, Magnus, or Jace finally man up and speak whatever is on their mind, she'll be all ears.

After Jace left she'd expected to be alone. By the time the champions started to come out nearly everyone but Raphael's squad-the one the cute puff boy belonged, had left. When Clary came out, she had left as soon as Jace ventured in to Izzy and Alec's conversation, and around the time Magnus left, apparently the other Hufflepuffs did too. Now, she realized thanks to a subtle cough towards the back of the room, that she was not alone, rather accompanied by the same boy whose she'd been strangely aware of all night. Well, the parts of the night not occupied by her brother.

It took a second for her to make to her move. She could stand here, relishing in the bitterness of the cold shoulder, or she could get to the bottom of this, tonight. She could play detective if she had to, and the fact that cute puff boy was suspect number one in the case of the trophy room only settled her resolve.

He was sitting atop the yellow and black table, elbows resting on knees, and the palms of his hands on his forehead. Clearly he was thinking, but being no master of subtly, Izzy assumed he could hear her approaching steps. She knew she had seen him before. Being in the same year they had actually had their fair share of classes together, and had surprisingly even chosen similar paths once third year came and left. He had always been very nice to her, and not the superficial nice that came with having good looks. He was genuinely kind. Vaguely he reminded her of Alec, but only in the way that when they both smiled, their entire face was illuminated, and by comparison whichever room they occupied. On the contrary, Simon used this to his advantage far more often than Alec. But Izzy loved smiles, especially his.

"Simon, right?" She asked the question with room for objection, both to the name and to her calculated movements to sit next to him as his head arose from gangly arms. He had strange eyes behind the rims of his glasses. Brown yes, but a warm velvety brown that showcased his array of emotions. She could read the shock that Izzy had approached him, the questions encasing the very same movement, and behind all that, was the same ghost of apprehension she had seen in all the other champions as they left.

His lips upturned in the ghost of a smile, an action that didn't reach his warm eyes.

"Yeah, and you're Isabelle."

Her nose crinkled at that. Isabelle. It sounded so formal. So wrong for the girl it addressed.

"Izzy, preferably."

"Izzy it is." He nodded, but she could tell he was just being polite. He was usually much more erratic, bubbling with conversation topics and sarcastic but funny comments. Granted they had never really had a one on one conversation together, she could still tell something was off. Something was off with all of them, but knowing Simon probably the least she didn't pry further.

"Your friends seemed happy for you. You know, judging by the chaos that erupted when they called your name." She was trying to lighten the mood, but she could tell it only deepened the worry crease between his eyebrows.

"Yeah they're…" He trailed off his head shaking slightly as he peered off into the distance of the great hall. It was obvious that his friends had presented somewhat of a challenge to him, but knowing the Hufflepuffs she assumed it was just over-zealous excitement.

"-worried." He finished the sentence as an afterthought, and gauging by his reactions the word was an understatement. She knew Raphael Santiago and his posse from the few times she and Magnus had hung out with them, and while they were rough around the edges, they were truly genuine people. She hadn't expected one of their own to seem so distraught by a mere conversation with them.

Clearly all of the questions that floated through her mind were evident on her face, because as soon as Simon made eye contact he continued. Somewhat begrudgingly, but not like he was commanded to. It just seemed to be a sore spot for someone so open.

"They want me to back out but-that's not a thing you can do in something like this, you know? I know I'm just a muggle-born but even I know what Dumbledore means by 'the cup's decision is final', that means I have no choice. The decision is literally final. Just ask Alec. …I put in my name as a joke, like-right after Raphael did, why didn't it choose him?" By his phrasing it was meant to be a rhetorical question, but his eyes begged Izzy for an answer. Pleaded with her mentally as to some sort of insight as to why it had to be him.

Honestly, it killed her too. She knew that this must be what Alec was thinking right now and why he had seemed so weird and distant when she hugged him. She knows what he does when he overthinks, and Simon here was just verbalizing it. She didn't know why the cup choose them. She didn't have any answers. This was one of those rare and truly loathed moments where Izzy was totally and completely useless. It felt horrible.

"I… I can't tell you why things happen, but I can tell you that they do. And once they do you just have to-I don't know, soldier on." She chuckled at her own word choice, like this was a battle they were suiting up for. "The cup chose you for a reason, now go out there and show us that reason."

He smiled genuinely this time, the fading light catching his eyes in an entrancing way, and Izzy was proud of herself to be of some kind of service. Surrounded by Jace and Alec constantly, while endearing, drove her insane at how bottled up they kept things. Objectively speaking Izzy was a fantastic listener and she was a little ticked off the people closest to her didn't utilize this gift more.

"Thank you." He said lightly, holding her gaze for a beat too long to be innocent. She realized how acutely aware of his lips she was, but just as the thought crossed her mind, the same pale mouth in question started moving.

"Shouldn't you be trying to psyche me out or something? I mean I know Alec doesn't really care about this competition but I would assume I'm the last person you want to help in this tournament." And technically, he had a point. On the latter of friend hierarchy Simon was a newcomer, still trying to figure out the rings, but she still considered him a confidant. She had no way to explain her instinct to help. He seemed distraught in the moment and she didn't like that look on him. Simple. But verbalizing that may be a bit obtuse considering the fact that they were alone in the middle of the vast great hall.

Eventually they began talking again. Superficial things at first like classes, and mutual friends but the conversation soon turned much deeper. Thoughts, fears, interests; nothing seemed to be off limits. It felt good to talk with someone for so long and not feel as if she were straining them socially.

It wasn't until the usual nightly patrol was heard, distantly puttering around and making their way towards Simon & Izzy's very seat that she realized how late it had gotten. If the nearly extinct flame of the candles surrounding them were any indication, it was somewhere around pre-dawn morning, well into the territory of being reprimanded for staying out too long-accompanied by a champion or not.

So Izzy used her inmate skill at slipping out of sticky situations to help Simon back to his dorm, and eventually to her own. A small smile still played at her lips as she lie there in her dormitory, going over the scenes that felt years old but in reality were mere hours ago. It wasn't until another hour passed and her brain exhausted itself enough to let the sweet release of sleep take her away. What a strange day…


	5. Chapter 5

It's not that Jace had been trying to avoid Alec, it was just that he wasn't actively seeking him. And to a degree, it felt pretty similar to dodging Alec at every end. With the amount of time Jace and Alec usually spent together, the absence of his presence felt like Jace had left his dorm without his legs today, or maybe his head.

Generally speaking, Jace had never been particularly… talented at apologizing. Franky, it was one of the only things he wasn't very good at. And apologizing to his brother was even worse because the nature of their relationship had never really called for apologies. They did what needed to be done and accepted each other no matter the obstacle.

However, this was the one situation Jace just couldn't follow Alec, and he felt like shit for putting Alec through the wringer unwillingly. Alec never wanted to compete, and by Merlin he for sure didn't want to compete against Magnus, who he loved deeply and furiously. Alec was a closed off guy, only allowing a certain number of people into his ring of friends, and an even less amount of people into the group that is aware of his real human emotions (namely Izzy, himself, and Magnus). Mindlessly Jace thanked whoever was listening that Izzy wasn't picked, because if she had been standing next to Alec on that stage, the poor kid would have died of stress and probably heartbreak.

And with this, this apocalypse of asinine events, Jace felt like he betrayed the very trust they built their foundation on. So yes, maybe Jace was avoiding Alec, but to be fair Alec hadn't sought him out either.

Jace finally registered where his feet had taken him, and with a small dose of surprise found himself on the bottom floor of the castle, near the great hall; otherwise known as the room where shit went sideways. It was far less crowded than the previous night's festivities, and now only held a few early morning stragglers, mostly Ravenclaws and Slytherins, but not the two Jace was daftly averting. So he trudged on, unsure where exactly he was going, but knowing with that Jace Lightwood superiority that he was going somewhere important.

Somewhere around the entrance gates Jace's vision landed on a small, but fiery red head. Clary. He hadn't seen her besides the curt ad vague words passed between them after the ceremony, and he found himself being drawn to her strangely. He knew her name and her reputation but besides that she was an enigma. And Jace hated unfinished puzzles.

As he began to strut up to her, he noticed a sharp increase in the little worry lines between her eyebrows. He'd seen her before, fleetingly sure, but he was fairly certain she had never held such anguish in her usually soft features. She sat on one of the benches overlooking the Hogwarts grounds, the dark clouds swirling in the distance of the scenery creating an ominous glow around the castle and its tenants.

She must not have noticed him approach because she still focused on some nonexistent point in the distance, and only broke her mesmerized glance when Jace spoke.

"You look like someone just told you the tournament is done naked." He laughed at his own joke, picturing the look on his brother's face had he heard that information.

The thoughts of Alec didn't enlighten his mood for long however, as he remembered the reason he wasn't with him right now, and instead alone and searching for proper company. But he didn't let that deter him from his conversation with Clary Fray. He liked her take charge personality, but as of now she just seemed spacey.

She made a 'hmmm' sound but otherwise didn't make a motion to speak. Jace, not understanding the signals for 'not in the mood to talk' took the seat next to her, looking out at the rolling hills, trying to find the point of interest that so captivated Clary Fray.

"You know you have to win now right? I love my brother and all, but Gryffindor has got to take this one and that's all on you." He was joking, sorta. Of course he would be elated if Alec, or even Magnus won, but a small part of house pride and a strange something else was cheering for this small redhead. She seemed to be brought back down to Earth by that, staring at him with wide, emerald eyes.

"I need you to tell Alec something for me." She said it with urgency, like it was a life-or-death mission she was signing Jace up for. A small smile tugged at his lips at the rush of directed orders, but otherwise he made no objections to this declaration.

"Okay, sure, what is it? If you've got a crush on him or something I've got bad news for you."

But at his response she just bit her lip, staring at him again but this time with apprehension. He couldn't think of a scenario where Clary couldn't just go right up to Alec and tell him whatever it was herself, but then again from an outsider's perspective Alexander Lightwood didn't exactly look like an upbeat and approachable guy. He was, sometimes, he just never showed it.

Clary pushed herself up, maintaining eye contact but still seeming eerily spaced out.

"Actually… I think I have to show you." And with that she started to walk away, towards the groundskeepers hut and away from the castle with purpose. Naturally, he followed because any kind of mystery was his forte but this was a whole new level of mindless obedience. Not really knowing Clary this could be anything. Truthfully, she could be luring him away to kill him in the forest and here he was, happily strolling along to his death. But that was just a mere personality trait to Jace Lightwood, so he trudged on, following the girl like he knew exactly where he was going.

They talked lightly as they made their descent into the forbidden forest. She was a sixth year Gryffindor who didn't really know she was a witch until her letter came. Technically she was a half-blood, even with two magical parents but once her mom split from her dad the whole 'magic' thing became a secret her mom just wasn't ready to share. So yeah, Hogwarts was a bit of a shock upon first arrival. And every event since then seemed to be another onslaught of unsolicited surprise-i.e. the tournament.

Jace talked about himself, his adoption into the Lightwood family, his sorting, his interests, that sort of thing but he didn't want to burden her with pre-adoption Jace mentions. That wasn't really something you tell someone on your first potentially hazardous walk to the forbidden forest. More of a second-time topic. Surprisingly he found himself opening up to her however, talking about things he had really only ever told Alec and Izzy. It wasn't that he was a secretive guy he just didn't like broadcasting information that could potentially be used against him in the future. But he trusted Clary, and she reciprocated with the deep kind of things he assumed she had only told a filtered number of people.

As the thicket of trees became denser, and the sun became just a memory behind the branches looming overhead, that small part of Jace's brain that held actual hesitation started protesting. If he got lost, he'd miss Quidditch practice, and Hodge would have his ass-which he quite liked having. So he diverted the conversation to something that pertained more to the situation at hand.

"So is this where you kill me and discard the body, or are we just expertly lost?" Jace inquired as he stumbled over yet another decaying log. Don't be mistaken, he loves forbidden forest adventures, but this just seemed like a perilous hike through rugged terrain. Clary laughed lightly, and for some reason the sound did funny things to Jace's chest. He felt something stutter there, and for a moment worried that he had perhaps gotten food poisoning or something. That feeling had never happened before, not to someone as composed as Jace Lightwood.

He disregarded it as Clary, clearly out of breath huffed out a short "we're here" and held out her hand to stop Jace from moving further. They were located just behind a dense thicket of bushes and branches, but even though they were probably invisible to any prying eyes Clary still knelt low, beckoning for Jace to follow her lead.

She had opened her mouth to speak, but as she did a blood-curling, mountain-rumbling, earthquake of a roar reverberated through the forest, shaking it to its very core. Jace's hands pushed away the vegetation obstructing his view from whatever was beyond them, and straightaway questioned in his mind whether it was the right or left arm that went numb during a heart attack.

Before him was a towering, muscled, hulk of a thing that wrestled against the binds around both the cage and itself. Its skin glimmered red under the miniscule touch of sunlight that basked its skin, and Jace could only imagine the blinding white-light of its glow in broad daylight. His mind filled with every question imaginable. From anatomy to geography, he wondered everything about the creature and its origins, but his prestigious and perspicacious mind was only able to produce a simple "what the fuck?" in place of anything productive. Figures.

Clary just nodded, and begrudgingly Jace's eyes left the powerful beauty of the beast to question Clary further with his eyes. What the bloody hell was a dragon doing on Hogwarts grounds? Granted he didn't pay apt attention in care of magical creatures, but he was fairly certain this mountain of a dragon was not indigenous to the region. And unless this was some dragon airport that he had never heard about, this spelled trouble in every language. He opened his mouth to inquire further, but Clary was already answering. The first real doses of fear he's ever seen in those emerald hues regarding him with apprehension.

"The first task-" She paused, taking a breath and gazing back at the winged animal. "-battle a dragon."

And Jace laughed. He laughed. Laughed like it was April fool's day and goddamn had Clary pulled a good one over on him. But this wasn't April, and he could tell from angst in her eyes this was all too real. Slowly he put the pieces back together. She had wanted to tell Alec something, and Alec-Jace realized with horror- is a champion. This dragon, with its rolling white-hot flames of fire could very well be staring Alec square in the eye a week from now. Or Magnus, or that Hufflepuff… or Clary.

"T-the…. Battle- A dragon!?" It wasn't coherent, but he felt the message was received as he stumbled across his own thoughts verbally and aggressively. A goddamn dragon? When they said "competition" Jace had envisioned capture the flag or something school-friendly, not the chance to become barbequed for sport.

Without thinking he pushed up from the ground and started trekking back the way they had come. Alec, he had to tell Alec-had to tell him to fight this, to drop out, or let some other masochist take his place. He had to tell him to be safe, and that Jace was sorry, and stupid-so stupid for pushing him like this. Vaguely, he was aware of Clary grabbing his hand and the funny back flip his heart did but his brain was too busy registering this influx of information.

"-and we're not supposed to know." He caught the tail end of her sentence, and pieced together the rest. Clary had private Intel. The first task was supposed to be secretive until the day of, and Jace couldn't just walk around, proclaiming the fact that there were dragons in Hogwarts' backyard. Rationally, he understood that. But Jace Lightwood was an irrational type of guy. It took a few minutes of restless jittery actions before he could even begin to process this like a normal wizard would.

He calmed down for a second, trying to measure Clary's own feelings before his own. She was a champion, meaning she was in the direct line of fire for this horror story, and yet she was still trying to talk him down.

"Are you okay with this?" It was asked with a dense perplexity and if Clary responded with yes he might just check her into the psych ward at St. Mungo's. Four children were being asked to do something most full-grown wizards couldn't even accomplish. And what's worse was they were planning on blindsiding those very same kids.

"Not even a little. I'm pretty sure they've never taught us the proper dragon battling technique in Defense." And the same despair plagued those beautiful eyes and Jace's stomach dropped this time. He was being selfish in his feelings. Yes, this was a lot to take in but really he was just a third-party in this situation. Clary Fray was in the wringer and Jace had done nothing to subdue her worries. She had to know her own strength, but sometimes even the mightiest people needed reminding.

"Hey, they wouldn't make a challenge impossible, someone has to win obviously, and that someone is you. It's a dragon not a-"he struggled with thinking of something more lethal than a dragon, but came up short. "-regardless, nothing is impossible for Clary Fray, right? You're a Gryffindor, and a damn good one at that, we'll figure this out like its homework, alright? You'll be fine." He ignored the part where he doesn't usually do homework, and felt proud of himself for that soliloquy. Generally speaking he was really good at talking himself up, but projecting that onto others? Not so great.

And Clary even seemed inspired by his words. That familiar light in her eyes brightening her whole face, and while she still seemed to hold some apprehensions, as a whole she seemed motivated to move on with them.

"Thank you." It was short, but held a lot of weight. Distantly Jace was aware of how light he felt, and made a note to check in with Madame Pomfrey later about these weird symptoms he'd been experiencing since the ceremony. Maybe it was a stomach virus, or dragon pox or something. Jace never felt this uneasy and the queasiness that intensified with Clary's proximity was really throwing him off.

"I should get back to Professor Dot, she told me not to tell anyone but… please pass it along to the others, alright? They deserve a heads up at the very least." And Jace just nodded in response as she turned and trudged through the forestation. It wasn't until her fiery red hair was out of sight that Jace thought of what to say, and he let a soft "thank you" pass his own lips.

He owed her now, for saving his brothers skin, and while he bounded up the steps to the Hogwarts castle began rummaging through the ideas of how to settle his debt. It would take a while to pay off, but even an eternity of I.O.U.'s was worth the safety of his friends. Clary Fray was really something else.


	6. Chapter 6

Dragon Pox. Getting the 'talk' from his mother. The sweet release of death. These were all things he would have much rather, and almost willingly accepted in place of the blasphemy that had exited Jace's mouth. It had been a week since Jace had stormed into the library, thrown Alec's books to the floor in an albeit excessive manor, and pronounced as low as his strangled voice could manage that Alec would be battling a dragon in his spare time.

His eyes were wild with an intense fire and as soon as he had finished proving the legitimacy of his accusations, he had rushed straight into the apologies. Somewhere around the second week of solitude Alec had forgiven his family-not out of loneliness but out of the realization that it was not them he was really mad at. No, he didn't blame them for this series of unfortunate events that was subtitled the life and times of Alexander Lightwood, he blamed himself above all. And fate-that relentless bitch.

Yes his siblings had teased him but Alec was acting under free will when he put his name in the cup. They didn't put a wand to his head and march him up to the stage, no matter how much they joked about doing just that. No, Alec was an adult now, and he had made an adult decision to put his name in the cup. Adults make stupid decisions too, as it turns out.

So with his own self-shame in mind, it was easy to 'forgive' Jace. But with the constant stream of play-back fire going on in his cluttered mind, Alec could only articulate a few "yes's" and "no's" to Jace's productive questioning. It was Magnus that had plagued his mind. In truth, it was Magnus that was on his mind at all times but at that time, that part of his brain took dominance over the rest. Clary Fray knew, Alec knew, and Magnus Bane was still sitting in his common room pondering over what kind of competition he would be facing his boyfriend in. With little thought Alec thanked Jace, reminding himself to thank his brother in length later and sprinted off to find Magnus.

Now however, in present times with Clary, Alec, Magnus, and Simon all in the know, it still didn't seem very fair.

Alec had always been a morning person, but on this particular day he didn't rise early so much as just never went to sleep. Somewhere around their third year Magnus and Alec had found a particularly good room on the fifth floor that was always vacant when they needed it to be. It was in a secluded section that most people probably thought was a broom closet, but that from the looks of it on the inside was an old charms classroom (They too had thought it to be a broom closet, and in the heat of the moment were pleasantly surprised to find room to stretch out).

From this room they had shared some of Alec's favorite memories, the ones he didn't like to speak of too much because they felt so personal, so connected to the man he loved that sharing even a piece of it felt like tainting it's perfection. Now however, the room had been all too morose. They had laid in the middle of the room as they usually did. Magnus had enchanted the room to show the array of stars in the night sky much like the Great Hall, and with Magnus' arm wrapped comfortably around Alec's torso the sixth year should have been floating on cloud nine. But Magnus was quiet... and when Magnus was quiet that meant he was thinking too much. In every phrasing of the sentence Alec loved Magnus' mind, but sometimes Alec wanted Magnus to be able to escape it. Being the extrovert he is, usually Magnus can keep his tantalizing thoughts in check by equally distributing them between internal and external dialogue, but when Magnus bottles things up they tend to explode in an unpleasant flurry of emotions.

He'd been acting strange ever since that infamous champion's meeting after the ceremony, and regardless of Alec's persistent questioning, Magnus still refused to answer why he was suddenly acting spacey. He would just respond with a hollow "I'm not" that they both knew was a lie, but couldn't pry further without pressuring Magnus to talk about something he didn't want to. In an uncharacteristic turn of events Alec had done most the talking that night, and his mouth felt weirdly overworked (and not in the usual way with Magnus around) by the time thirty minutes had passed. He just wanted to have a conversation with his boyfriend, not start on a duet where one person sang both parts. Distantly he wondered if this closed-off persona was what Alec usually exuded towards everyone else, and mentally he made a note to tell Izzy more about his days later (maybe, he'll have to think rationally about that later). But now, as he sat at the great hall the morning after, using his fork to push around the uneaten eggs on his plate his mind could only focus on that tall, dark, and handsome man he was lucky enough to call his boyfriend. Why was Magnus acting so weird? Had Alec killed his spirit for competition? He had seemed so elated to be recognized as one of the champions before Alec's name had been called, and now it was as if Magnus would rather take a high dive into the icy black lake then smile about this tournament.

Eventually someone joined in next him, his mind too vacant to even register who until the lithe voice broke the serenity of peace. "Earth to Alec!" It was whimsical, but still was notably missing that cheeriness that marked her usually eccentric Alec-teasing's.

"How are you feeling, big bro?" She asked with the trademark lighthearted Lightwood air but her eyes screamed concern. He was the big brother. The protector, the pragmatic one; and yet Izzy still found a way to drive herself crazy with worry over a boy who clearly knew how to handle himself. Although considering the fact he'd never actually faced a dragon before-he did understand the apprehension.

"Lightly toasted." He responded, surprisingly joking about his high chances of getting fried despite the tension. It had been the weirdest power shift in the past few days-Izzy, Magnus, hell even Jace were all out of character. They held worry lines between their eyebrows Alec didn't even know they possessed, they looked at him like he was fragile, and overall weren't their usual extroverted, brash, arrogant selves. Maybe seeing their distress kicked in Alec's big brother over drive and now he was working on an overprotective autopilot. He actually wasn't that panicked about the day's events.

Okay yes he still realized he was going to have to become a pretty crafty kleptomaniac to win this competition, but worst comes to worst and he would just apparate out and take the loss. He was legally bound to attempt every challenge, but they had very transparent rules as to when they could and could not tap out of a given situation. The tournament was rough yes, but not heartless.

Izzy seemed to take his response as an even greater call for help, and Alec quickly feared whether someone could literally bite their lip off with the excessive amount that Izzy was showcasing. He was about to tell her to calm down before the third of the Lightwood's made a surprisingly dull entrance. He had deep, unflattering bags under his eyes and despite his multi-colored eyes being open seemed to be genuinely sleepwalking.

Alec, in his weirdly light and joking mood decided that would be a good jumping off point into directing the conversation Izzy so clearly wanted to have away from himself.

"Dude, you look like shit."

Jace just shot him a death glare that held no weight. His large form slammed down at the seat in front of Izzy and Alec, and he was throwing whatever lay in front of him onto his plate as he spoke.

"I was up all night with Clary... she's still freaking out about the competition even though she won't show it-" Izzy looked directly at Alec, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of looking back. "-you know it sucks that my brother is going against my house. Its so confusing on who to root for."

At that, Alec had to snort. "Yeah, this is a 'house' matter." And surprisingly even Izzy laughed at that.

Jace however did not seem pleased, and paired with a single unfriendly finger directed at the pair he also threw small pieces of granola in defiance. Alec remembered when they had interrogated him like this for Magnus. Back when Alec was ten times as uncomfortable about himself, and about thirty times more closed off (if possible). He hated their jokes but somehow they made him more comfortable. They truly didn't care that he liked that tall, slender, insanely attractive man from Ravenclaw, and slowly he found peace with it himself.

Speaking of, Magnus too entered, but with none of the grandiose he usually possessed. They were still in that weird limbo of not fighting but also not not fighting, and Alec wasn't exactly sure where they stood.

Regardless, Magnus kissed Alec as he sat next to him, breathing "morning love" even though he was still clearly unfocused.

Jace had turned the conversation back around on Izzy and her apparent interest in the Hufflepuff boy and Alec's interest was peaked. Izzy had... genuine feelings for someone? His sister was probably the single most loving person Alec had ever met (except Magnus-but that was different) but Izzy and romance had just never clashed. She liked hanging around potential significant others, but she never really explored the option enough to call it 'like' or even seem flushed when the person of interest was brought up.

Magnus' hand had found Alec's thigh in a reassuring measure, and Alec took the rest of breakfast not even thinking of the upcoming fire-breathing challenge. For just a few minutes, he was happily lost in the normalcy of the conversation, that is however until he and Magnus were called to begin.

They walked in silence behind Professor Dot, closer than strangers, but not close enough to Alec's liking. It wasn't until they neared the champion's tent that Magnus pulled Alec's arm, hinting at him to stay behind as the other's continued on.

"Alec..." He said his name in a strange manner. Maybe it was because he used the name everyone else used and not 'Alexander' that made it feel weird, or maybe it was the strange look of fear in his eyes. Alec had never seen those beautiful chocolate hues hold anything but confidence.

"I know the rules but if you get hurt, you call for me. Call for me and I'm there, you're not stuck in this. We'll-we'll find a way to break the rules, we're good at that right? But I want you to know above all I'm on your team. Screw the competition, screw the rules, screw all of this. I'm there for you, and if you want to back out-"

"I don't." At that, Magnus' mouth shut with absurdity and his scrunched up eyebrows asked the questions his mouth didn't. Alec had accepted his fate. Yeah it sucked that he was chosen, yes it sucked his boyfriend was also chosen, but he was in this now. The rules clearly stated he couldn't back out, and honestly? He wasn't that scared. That in itself was an improvement, that he wasn't freaking out about something so monumental, but in a weird way it felt nice. To stop worrying and just ride whatever weird wave was taking him.

"I don't want to back out, I'll be fine. We have a good strategy, as long as we don't get the Horntail, we'll be fine. And I don't want you to be on my team, I want you to be on our team. You don't need to worry about me, I'm a big kid, if anything you should be worried about Scott or whatever his name is from Hufflepuff-the poor kid looks like he's going to pass out before we even start." Magnus cracked a miniscule smile at that. It wasn't a lot, but it was something. In a reassuring manner, Alec's large, calloused hands grabbed either side of Magnus' face and with all the words his emotionally instable mouth couldn't say, he translated with that kiss. He was irrevocably, insanely, and forever in love with Magnus Bane. Even a dragon couldn't stop that.

They broke apart all too soon for Alec's liking, but Clary and Stanley were calling them in from the tent. After Clary's not-so-private intel was leaked to Alec a weird sense of comradery formed between the four. Clary had told Jace, who yelled it at Alec, who told Magnus and Izzy; the latter of the two passed it along to Simon, thus completing the circle. They hadn't spoken much, more so passed on looks of encouragement in passing, but it was something.

"Alec-" Magnus had started again, but Professor Dot was furiously ushering them inside.

"We'll be fine-it'll be fun, right?" He smiled, somewhat perplexed at his own change of heart, and grabbing Magnus' hand to come with him anyway. He didn't want to destroy Magnus' love of competition, so he might as well play to win if he was going to be any kind of opponent to what he considered the most proficient wizard of their age.

"Fun when I win, I mean." Alec smiled cheekily, and finally Magnus' eyes sparked with something somewhat familiar.

"Oh now it's on, Lightwood." And at that Alec just winked, letting Professor Dumbledore's words fill the space between the four champions. Clary stood closest to the professor, bouncing on the balls of her feet and just generally looking experienced, like this was just another typical Saturday evening. She held none of that reservation he'd seen from the champions ceremony and for that, he was grateful. Maybe Jace Lightwood could actually inspire someone other than himself-what an odd world.

To her right was Sam, exhibiting at least five visible traits of stress. Magnus, his broad shoulders just barely grazing Alec's own stood between he and the Hufflepuff. Alec didn't want to seem too cocky or anything, but he was fairly certain his boyfriend had this one in the bag.

"The first task will be to capture the golden egg-an instrument integral to your next task." Almost all eight eyes skimmed the small circle forming, a knowing look forming in all of their faces. They had pieced together the rest of the puzzle independently, but Alec was almost positive they still all knew what was going to happen next.

"The golden egg holds vital information, but it will not be easy to obtain. You will each face off against one of our four dragons. Dragons are notoriously protective creatures, and do not take to being stolen from lightly-especially when the contents you will be capturing are gold and resemble that of their young. For this I caution you strongly. You must use your own skill to win this round-placements will depend on your time to complete the task at hand. I warn you now this task is not for the faint hearted. It will test everything you have learned thus far, and will bring out whatever is needed to thrive. I urge you all to proceed with great care. You will be tested in the face of the unknown, with only your wand and your mind to protect you. I hope you use it well. Ludo?" At that Ludo Bagman rushed forward, his mustache twinging in excitement. He held a small, velvet rucksack in which something small seemed to be writhing in.

"Good evening champions!" No one replied to his spritely attempt at positivity. "I hold here a small version of whichever dragon you shall be facing today. You will go in order of which dragon you choose, the short-snout will be first, common welsh green, Chinese fireball, and finally the Hungarian Horntail. These dragons were assigned random, with no specific order given to them." At that, Alec had to physically repress a snide comment. In what world was that progression of dangerous to textbook definition of lethal random? They clearly wanted the show to go out with a bang, and Alec felt a momentary stab of fear for whoever would have to go last. He could only hope it wasn't Magnus.

"I offer good luck to you all. We shall start with the youngest." At this, Ludo opened the bag, offering the end of it to Samuel, who looked about ready to hurl into it. He seemed to contemplate sticking his hand into a bag of miniature dragons, only to plunge his right arm in with a surprising amount of stele. It was almost as if Alec could hear the mental 'fuck it' that when through the boys head, and as his hand emerged, Alec could see a stark contrast of green in his hands. Definitely not the Horntail.

"Ah, the welsh!" Bagman seemed pleased at this, but moved on promptly to Clary Fray. She met Bagman's eyeline and allowed her free hand to search the contents of the bag without hesitation. Within seconds she brought her arm back up, the short-snout in hand. She smiled at this, clearly having seen the wrath of the other two from her excursion in the woods.

That left two options by the time Ludo Bagman was rounding on Alec. The fireball or the Horntail. He thought of Magnus and his surprisingly morose mood. He remembered the cold feeling in his stomach when his boyfriend had been called, and the unsettling feeling that something perpetually horrible was going to happen soon. He told himself at the time it was just paranoia, but now, he found himself wishing-no praying for something he never thought he would want.

By the time his mind caught up to his actions, he was already raising a skittish figure in his palm from the bag. As his long slender fingers extended outward, Alec noticed the red edges of the dragon-and was both pleased and terrified that someone had listened to his prayers.

"The Horntail!" Ludo Bagman nearly shouted these words, and next to him he could feel Magnus stiffen. "That leaves you, Mr. Bane, with the fireball!"

Magnus, whose eyes never truly landed on Alec had opened his mouth to protest, but Alec cut him off before he started. "Thank you Mr. Bagman." And Alec gave a pointed look at Magnus. His boyfriend's eyes screamed murder, and even more hurt that Alec wasn't going to let Magnus save him. But this was a school sanctioned event right? They were smarter now, the risks far less of a threat. The dragons were probably tied up, and it would take a max of like three minutes to get the egg from what he assumed. And even if this was a dangerous situation, like hell he was going to let Magnus take the fall for him. He had chosen the Horntail, the Horntail was his obstacle. It warmed something in Alec's chest that Magnus had even begun to go against what a ministry official had appointed, but it also only infuriated Alec more that Magnus was going to willing throw himself into the line of fire for him.

Bagman gave him a weird nod, and started ushering Seth towards the curtain that led to the event. He commanded the boy to wait until he had given the signal, and hurried off to wherever he was supposed to be. The tournament was moments away from starting, and knowing what Magnus would be trying to scold him for, Alec decided to play dumb and walk over to where the Hufflepuff boy and Clary stood.

It was a few minutes before Ludo's voice filled the stadium, and with a few pompous remarks about the festivities or the magic in the air or whatever, Simon Lewis was called. The young boy let out a large breath, his shoulders shrinking a little on his tall form before he pushed aside the curtain, only to be enveloped in a wide shower of applause. Alec let his mind tear itself away as he began to rethink his whole strategy. His plan had primarily formed around confusing his dragon, and now that he had the highly intelligent Horntail, that was all blown to shit.

From behind the curtain he heard a roar, and could feel the aftermath of heat roll into the tent in waves. The crowd was cheering with passion, which meant the Hufflepuff was presumably not deep fried yet, and while Alec should have probably been focused on listening for tips to use for his own event, his mind drifted towards other things.

Eventually Bagman said something, and Clary walked out of the tent and Alec was left alone with Magnus. As soon as the last strand of red hair had exited Magnus' eyes landed on Alec's, his strong arms crossing in a motion that clearly meant he hadn't let anything go.

"Alexander-"

"No, Magnus listen. I'm sorry I was so weird when the tournament started, but if your weirdly un-Magnus like mood is because of me, I want you to stop right now."

"Do you want to know why the tournament hasn't emerged for decades?" Magnus' mouth was set into a firm line, and Alec's body language probably expressed more than his words did at the question.

"It's because people have died in this competition, Alec. Death. As in they never made it out of Hogwarts, they never went home, what would Izzy and Jace do without you? What about me?"

"Magnus it's not the same... they know what they did wrong. Come on, Simon Lewis the Hufflepuff just made it past his dragon-"

"A welsh! Seth was battling a welsh! You are going against the Horntail, one of the only dragons know to be able to digest a human in seconds!"

"Well unless the egg is inside his stomach, I won't be going near his mouth!" It truly was a weird power shift when Alec Lightwood was attempting to lighten the situation, and Magnus Bane was refuting anything positive.

"Alec, why didn't you let me talk to Bagman? We could have switched, we could have-"

"What offered you up as sacrifice instead? No, over my dead body." There was a deafening amount of cheering coming from the stadium and distantly, Alec heard Magnus' name called by Ludo Bagman.

"The man, the myth, the mystery... Magnus Bane! Entering the competition as a seventh year Ravenclaw, Magnus Bane..." And he continued on into the biography of Magnus, probably trying to cover up the lag Magnus had presented by not entering the arena. Alec gave him a stubborn look, pointedly motioning for the front doors, but Magnus refused to go.

"Getting us both disqualified won't help anything. Go. I'll be waiting for you on the other end." Alec tried to make the words sound as empowering as possible given the fight that still resided in the air around them. Magnus gave him a strange look, and in four quick steps had closed the space between them and crushed Alec's lips into a Earth-shattering kiss. It lasted a second, but felt like an eternity.

"Don't do anything stupid." He said, before letting the chanting from the crowd drown him out.

At that Alec just stopped, letting his blue eyes slide over Magnus as if it were the first time he were seeing him-or the last. "Magnus I'll always come back to you."


	7. Chapter 7

Magnus Bane was many, many things. He was calculated, precise, and never really gave away too much when he talked thus presenting the illusion that nothing fazed him. It suited him well whenever a mouthy Gryffindor or a snotty Ravenclaw wanted to attempt to butt heads, almost always he could disable them with a simple look that said 'try me, and it'll be the last thing you do.' Yes, he had a way with enchanting people to do his biddings, but dragons were entirely different than people. He highly doubted he could persuade the dragon to fork over his egg with a smolder.

Being Magnus Bane however, it hadn't taken long to come up with a plan, and an even shorter span of time to forget it. Alec Lightwood had a way of doing that, enchanting him in a way entirely new to the Ravenclaw; making his usually structured brain fall to static. Usually this was in the presence of love. With Alec's open, honest face as the center of his world, and those strong eyes that emanated only a small fraction of the real trust he had for Magnus, how could he feel nothing but unadulterated, powerful love? Usually he could kiss Alec's stubborn lips until they were both sore, but usually didn't cut it this time.

No, he wanted to play hero and let Magnus take a backseat in what was possibly the most dangerous task to face. He wanted Magnus to say 'good luck, honey!' and skip away without a care that the Horntail was waiting for his love. He wanted to diffuse the situation with irrational, poorly timed jokes. And had Magnus had his way, he would have given the finger to the competition and taken his very head strong boyfriend out of the country and away from harm's way.

However much Magnus wanted to lecture, it seemed like he had been taking far too long, and in came Professor Dot to usher him out.

"This way, Mr. Bane." She said politely but with a strong sense of urgency. Magnus knew he was keeping the crowds waiting, but he'd keep the world waiting if that meant Alec would see reason.

Alec looked away, his expression uncertain, and with a voice that didn't crack he wished Magnus well. A hollow comment for the usual words that used to pass through them.

Magnus couldn't take it. He couldn't take how powerless he felt, or how heavy his heart felt with dread. He couldn't stand to see Alec's beautiful face and think of a dragon in front of it with malicious intent. Alec, his beautiful Alec could be so stubborn.

With two sure steps Magnus' face was mere inches from his Slytherin's and with a kiss all too short he replied in a breathy voice, "I'll promise for the both of us." And followed Dot out.

The sun was blinding compared to the dimness of the tent, and it took Magnus a second to catch his bearings. He knew he was on the Qudditich field, duh, but this terrain was wildly different from the usual earthy grass that covered it.

Instead a rough, rocky scene unfolded, and at the heart of it all was the Chinese Fireball. Bigger than any textbook could ever describe, and twice as menacing. It's scales almost gleamed golden in the sunlight that reflected from it but the deep blood red of its coat was too powerful for even the sun to dilute. It was a beautiful creature, really, and a powerful one at that. Magnus could see where the thrill in spectating came from, but with that he resolved to focus.

The dragon did not take graciously to Magnus' proximity and with a short burst of fire Magnus went running. Distantly he heard the crowd gasp, and a few littered screams, but it was almost as if they were shouting at him through glass. He was alone out here, but distantly he had the peculiar sense that this is what a zoo must feel like. Alienated from the public, but also at the heart of it.

Magnus thought back to his plan, and with a jump to land behind a seemingly sturdy rock his wand was already in his hand.

With a thundering shout, and a sharp flick of his wand he had turned one of the larger boulders next to him into a towering wolf. It was a hulking figure with white-gray fur, and eyes like black holes. The wolf shook its head as if to clear it, and acting on instinct started to run.

Noticing the flash of movement, the dragon followed it, its large, beady eyes trailing left as Magnus sprinted right. He was just at the foot of the wall where his golden egg lie when the wolf had all but disappeared, and getting bored with following an animal so far away, the dragon turned its attention back on Magnus.

Up here there was no cover and Magnus had not accounted for this turn of events.

As the Dragon's large mouth opened and flames erupted from it, Magnus acted on impulse as he apparated away, landing directly behind the beast and just outside of the anti-apparation enchantment ring. He ran with such speed and ferocity he was afraid he might apparate out of habit, and suddenly his hands clasped around something cool and smooth that felt refreshingly like victory.

Horns blew and people chanted and for a few fleeting seconds, Magnus basked in it all. Until he realized that most of his 'cheers' were actually screams, and that the dragon had in fact burned him quite heavily. As the adrenaline died down Magnus noted that the searing flash of what he thought was ambition turned out to be a fire that had scaled the upper half of his right arm. It still ached, and looking down at it now he felt physically sick from the charred skin, but the fact that he had just bested a dragon was still pumping proudly through his veins. Call it a battle scar, but he had just completed the first task.

He gave the crowd a wave, and raised the egg above his head until his arm demanded it be attended to and off he went to the champions tent. Before entering it and getting to see his Alec, Professor Loss was there and ushering him towards the first aid tent, muttering on about recklessness and foolish tradition. He liked Professor Loss quite a lot, considering she was actually more of a friend than a teacher. She had helped him out in a time he thought was helpless, and for that he'd always respect her. Okay almost always-he tried to argue against treatment until she started her remedies and he realized he could once again feel his arm. But Alec, his beautiful Alec was next. And if the Chinese Fireball had nicked him, then the Horntail could do much worse.

"-A truly thrilling event. And now in this next match, Slytherin's very own…. " Oh how Magnus had never hated Alec's name so much before, "Alexander Lightwood!"

There was cheering and plenty of it, but Magnus didn't register that. He could only picture the fire and the way it had come so close to covering him. The shower of viciously hot red-orange that clouded his vision and filled his senses with a burning dread. It was maniac to think that somehow, sitting in the first aid tent, he felt lucky that he had been burned, because at least the arm could heal.

Alec was all too skilled in matters of fighting, but one wrong turn and his boyfriend would end up next to him in this crummy tent. The cheering escalated then died down, and Magnus assumed Alec had both entered the arena, and started his course of action. After something of a power struggle between he and Professor Loss, they'd agreed he could be moved to the last bed in the tent, where the stadium could still be seen. His heart was pounding hard as he moved and it wasn't just because of the charred skin on his arm.

He'd have to sit sideline to Alec fighting for his life. If Hogwarts had planned on institutionalized torture then they were right on track.

Just as the professor opened the curtain, Magnus was sure he had portaled into hell.

There, just in his direct eyeline was his handsome boyfriend, standing shock still as the dragon let out a roar and a stream of fire. Magnus physically could not look even though his eyes were still seeing. This wasn't real life. The Professor had given him an impossibly strong sedative and he was hallucinating in the worst kind of way. The Alec-has-just-died kind of way, and Magnus felt as if his insides had left his body completely and he was hollow. The kind of hollow that if someone had shouted at him the noise would just echo for eons to come.

"Alec!" He cried hoarsely, as the professor pushed him back down onto the bed he had unsuccessfully tried to jump off of.

"Careful," The Professor had said, and she continued on with words Magnus physically could not register. How could she be so call when Alec was in need of such serious medical attention. He couldn't understand how the world continued revolving when there, just there, his boyfriend had once stood.

He would have cried, or thrown himself at the raven-haired boy, or called upon an angel to resurrect his own angel had the next figure to cross his vision not have confirmed his sleeping-theory. There, moving behind the larger rocks and squatting low was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. His Alexander. Moving with stealth and the precise look of a man who had not just been charred to cinders.

Magnus looked around for an explanation, and if he had thought he was in hell before, heaven must have descended without his notice. Spotted here and there around the terrain were several Alec's. Tall slender bodies with very flattering features that made Magnus swoon like he was a preteen lover. All the bodies were statue-still but very lifelike, and Magnus had to ground himself before his mind got too caught up in what he and several Alec's could do.

The Hornatil, as towering and terrible as its reputation, turned towards the other side of the arena, on an Alec there who stood presumably too close to comfort. As that Alec was disintegrated Magnus could now see the way it turned from human to rock as it fell. Comforting to know it wasn't Alec- yes, but distressing to watch someone with Alec's physical attributes burn? Hell yes. Not to mention a waste of such a beautiful body, but that was a thought for another time.

Within seconds the Alec that actually moved was running towards the egg, and in record time the dragon was being drawn back into its cage as the stadium thundered with applause. Alec, his Alec was breathing hard but by the lightness of his shoulders Magnus could see he was proud. He had one of those rare to the world smiles on his face that he was clearly having trouble restraining, and despite the fact that Magnus' heart was pumping so hard it might jump out of his chest, he was smiling too.

Magnus cheered along but behind the ecstatic currents running through the Qudditich field, Magnus could still see the embers of the fire as it licked his love's face. Brilliant, to transfigure the rocks as Magnus had, and even more ingenious to station a few fake Alec's to preoccupy the dragon's time. But heart wrenching to see such handiwork in the statues he placed. That was Alec, his brilliant, brilliant boyfriend, who would never stop impressing him.

He could see Alec looking around for Magnus, his eyebrows knit together as Professor Dumbledore ushered him off the field so the judges could deliberate. Magnus wanted to yell but he knew his voice would never carry that far, and luckily Izzy and Jace who remained unscathed were there to greet their brother at the finish line. He looked accomplished, as he should, but Magnus, with a heavy heart realized that this was only the first of the tasks. If Dragons were just the first thing on a three-part to do list, what the hell was there to come? And by the angel, would Magnus' heart survive another sidelines job?


	8. Chapter 8

"-and you're not even listening!" The voice of Clary Fray's best friend Lydia finally broke the barriers of Clary's clouded mind. She had been lost in the recounting of a week previous, when she'd been staring down the snout of a dragon. It's scales and the heat that rushed her cheeks when it so much as breathed in her direction. She remembers the terror, but more importantly the success. She had beat a dragon. A bloody dragon, and had come out unscathed.

Strangely enough however, that wasn't the moment that stuck in her head. Playing like a reel in her thoughts, was the moment she had rushed off the field and Jace had hugged her like he couldn't believe she existed. Large, calloused hands had enveloped her so close that she couldn't decipher where Jace stopped and Clary started. Jace Lightwood- cool, indifferent, textbook-definition Lightwood Jace had been waiting for her on the border of the task. Being the skeptic she was, she attributed it to the fact he was probably waiting for his brother, but their sister Isabelle had only come down when Alec exited. Usually they moved as a pack, but for that one singular moment it was just Clary and Jace. A feeling she would never admit she cherished.

Of course minutes later she was swarmed with congratulations and fanatics and they were separated; but why had Jace been waiting for her solo? Maybe he was secretly a very nice guy and he was waiting with open arms for all the champions. Clary envisioned Simon and Jace, or Magnus and Jace hugging like she and Jace had and couldn't help but stifle a laugh every time. Sure they had been getting closer and closer, but Clary always attributed it to his desire to win, even if it just a house win rather than a personal victory. He'd stayed up with her almost every night claiming to help with the challenge ahead, and almost every night they'd get derailed by some other topic of conversation. Not that Clary minded, she could talk to Jace until her lips fell off.

"No! No, I was listening! You said- something." Judging by the look on Lydia's face that had been the wrong thing to say, and Lydia just rolled her eyes in response.

"Correct, but that something I said was you have to figure out this egg puzzle. Alec won't tell me where he's at with his, so as a peaceful protest I've decided I am Team Clary for this event."

"Were you originally Team Alec? Dang, Branwell where is the loyalty?" Clary was joking entirely, she could only picture Lydia's uncomfortable position right now. Not only were her two best friends competitors, but the other best friend was also a housemate. She understood the confusion when it came to banners or buttons or whatever, but even still Clary would much prefer Lydia's position to her own. She wanted to win, no doubt, but she was having serious existential questions after the last task. Not only had she come in third, which was only one from the bottom but she'd been facing a short-snout! If only that damn dragon hadn't spotted Clary's bright red hair in her mad dash for the egg she'd have probably at least beaten Magnus. Alec and Magnus had nearly tied on times, (they literally did everything together, even win) but with Magnus' burn he had dropped to second on a matter of technicality. Alec tried to fight it, but the judges really didn't care.

"I'm just saying… don't take this lightly. Can you imagine what would've happened if you hadn't been tipped off about the first task? Picture going into that blindsided by the dragon on the other end! I quite like not dying of a heart attack, so if you could please keep the danger down to a minimum that would be appreciated." At that, Lydia went back to whatever homework she had been working on previously, the topic clearly finished and Clary left with her instructions. That's what she both loved and hated about Lydia Branwell. She could command an army, but sometimes Clary hated being treated like a soldier.

She shook her fiery red head once and was about to turn back to her own homework when her eye caught something.

"I'm going to use the bathroom." Clary announced, getting up without bothering to listen to Lydia's response. Once Clary had reached the threshold of the classroom door, she found Simon Lewis standing just to the right, anxiously standing in the middle of an empty corridor.

"Simon?" She questioned, wondering what he could possibly be doing calling Clary out in secret to a deserted corridor. She had never been particularly close to Simon Lewis, but she knew who he was. Muggle-born and proud, something Clary had always thought was particularly brave of him, and something of a class clown if you listened close enough. He was very funny and from what she knew, very nice, she'd just never had many private conversations with the boy. Maybe he conducted all of his first one-on-one meetings in empty hallways.

"Theeggistriggeredbywaterandstolesomethingwehavetoswimtoget." He looked almost mad, with his bright brown eyes shining behind rimmed glasses. Simon's words came to quickly, tangling together and leaving a very confused Clary on the other end.

"What?" She asked politely, her eyebrows pulling together to create a puzzled look.

"The egg!" Simon started again, slower this time but not exactly slow in nature. "It only works underwater, but it works without screaming like a mandrake! It has taken something of ours and we have to swim to retrieve it! For an hour! I don't know about you but the last time I held my breath for an hour was never!"

Although Simon had spoken with enough space between his words to formulate coherent sentences, Clary still could not make sense of his words. An hour long swim? Her mom had taken her to the pool sometimes in the summer, and Clary had been very proud of herself for holding her breath a full minute one time, but an hour? Would they have to grow gills to complete this competition? She was confident about her physical looks, but she doubted she could pull off a good fish look.

"What?" She repeated, although in some sense of the word she understood.

"The lake! It's like when Qui-Gon goes to Otoh Gunga with Obi-Wan and they use the A99 Aquata Breathers, except those haven't been invented yet! I'd forgive the prequels for ruining a beautiful masterpiece if they could just whip me up a batch of those."

"Hey- the prequel served its purpose, it wasn't anything revolutionary but it opened up the potential for a running enterprise." Clary answered absentmindedly. Her mind still reeling on the Hogwarts pool party ahead. How the hell was she supposed to get past the Giant Squid?

"Oh come on, they made Anakin completely- wait, you know Star Wars?" Simon had completely shifted gears and now seemed somewhat excited rather than spooked. She could understand the sentiment; sometimes she felt like an alien whenever she brought up anything sci-fi to her friends, especially Lydia. She'd probably have a better chance speaking a foreign language trying to communicate with pure-bloods and a vast majority of half-bloods.

"Practically raised on it, but that's a subject for another time," and she meant it, Simon Lewis seemed like a really cool guy to talk nerd with. Talk about keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer. Next she'd be sharing hair tips with Magnus Bane, or making inside jokes with Alec- although that last one seemed more impossible than an hour long underwater breathing contest.

"but for now-why are you telling me this? Aren't we supposed to be, you know, competing?" He could have very well have just kept this revelation to himself. Left Clary to drown, both literally and metaphorically. But no, he was here, trying to catch his breath and freely exposing trade secrets.

But his face didn't show any dawning realization that he had made a mistake. No, instead his head had cocked to the side and his eyes held such puzzlement, like she was crazy for even asking.

"You told the Lightwoods about the dragons, right?" He asked, genuinely curious for her answer.

"Yeah, I told Jace to tell Alec, and from there I figured you and Magnus would know as well."

"Well, call this a thank you. It may be a competition but I'm in no mood to see one of the only other people in this castle who knows what a Klingon is, drown. Not to mention I don't really think it's fair they expect us to do this all on our own. Everybody needs somebody to help them." He said it with a smile that was so reassuring Clary couldn't help but smile back. Simon Lewis. What a strange, endearing guy.

"Thank you." She said, still a bit dazed from the whole experience. "I have to uh- I have to get back to my friend, but really, Simon, I mean it… thank you." Simon smiled again, and Clary couldn't help but think about what a nice smile he had. He was a great friend, and they weren't even truly that yet.

She watched as Simon said goodbye and made his exit, and as soon as his form had turned a corner, Clary was running towards the Gryffindor common room. Rationally she knew she should go back to studying, figure out how to inhale water and not die, but something powerful kept her legs moving. She had to tell him, had to see him, and now she had the perfect excuse to do just that. Simon was right, everybody needs a somebody, and right now she needed Jace.

xx.

Jace Lightwood sat with poise in the great hall, mindlessly throwing his quill up and down as a sign of his impatience. See, Jace has this brother who can be annoyingly studious. Like put an apple on the teacher's desk the first day kind of stuff, and right now, instead of even attempting to decipher his-literally- golden puzzle, the raven-haired boy was finishing homework. Homework! As if Jace hadn't had to watch with unease as one of his family members battled for his life with a bloody dragon, and what's worse- Jace still felt like he put him there! Alec had apologized, needlessly and Jace had made some asinine joke to signal that they were back to normal, but there, scratching in the back of his mind like an animal caught in the rafters was the knowledge he was hurting the one guy he was supposed to protect.

Then again, being Alec's guardian was a hard task when he refused to even acknowledge Jace's restlessness to solve the egg. Maybe if he and Alec could figure it out, then not only would his brother have a leg up, but Jace could reinstitute his late nights with Clary. If he had intel, that was a totally reasonable explanation as to why Jace would want to lose sleep in front of a crummy fire, talking semantics with his 'rival', right? He wouldn't have to fall asleep thinking about her, he could be with her, awake, so really it was a win-win for everyone.

He cleared his throat before started a perfect Jace Lightwood soliloquy.

"Maybe if we-"

"no." Alec didn't even look up when he cut Jace off, his jet black hair falling in tangles to cover his eyes as he wrote furiously.

"Alec, come on it's-"

"no."

"Alec-"

"no."

"A-"

"no." At the last one Jace just let out a mixture of a groan and a sigh. His hands rumpled the papers in front of himself as a means of protesting this horrible and unjust treatment. He had opened his mouth again to unleash the full-bodied force of Jace's own annoying-ness when the only thing that could tear Alec apart from his precious homework walked in.

He had a puzzled expression with slight bemusement doting his features and he paused just at the corner of the table, Alec looking expectantly up at him.

"I've just had the strangest conversation with Sheldon…" He mused, looking as if he'd just seen Professor Dumbledore doing backflips into the Great Lake. Sheldon? Jace thought silently, before remembering the childish face of one Hufflepuff champion. The sarcastic one that Izzy had taken a particular interest in. In fact, he'd assumed she was off somewhere casting her spells on the poor Stanley right now. Although in truth Jace had never seen his sister so intrigued before… Maybe Izzy had a thing for Hufflepuffs she'd never announced before. But if that were the truth Jace could point to the likes of George Lovelace or even Raphael Santiago, if she were looking for a badger companion more suitable.

"He's offered me a bath." Magnus declared, sitting himself next to Alec with little to no personal space between them. Alec looked as if he'd just been seen Peeves, or been asked to perform a recital in front of the great hall right now, with tap shoes and all the glitter even someone like Magnus could imagine.

Jace couldn't help but laugh, "Oh Izzy will be so disappointed." He joked, his words overlapping with Magnus' explanation.

"Something about taking my egg to the prefect's bathroom. After a stuttering explanation I think it's something about water being a catalyst for the egg to open without exploding in that horrible sound, but nonetheless, Alec I think you've got some competition." Magnus was blatantly kidding. It's almost like Magnus was blind when it came to the rest of the Hogwarts population. He only had an acute interest in tall, rule-abiding boys whose names started with A and ended with lexander. Although, now that he thinks about it, Jace was pretty sure there was a fourth year in Ravenclaw that fit the bill. But even then, he was sure Magnus hadn't noticed the kid.

"Wait, hold on, if we're talking competition- why are you going straight to Stefan and skipping over me? I'm desirable." He claimed, his right hand making a sweeping gesture as if all the proof they needed was right in front of them.

Magnus and Alec just blinked at him, before returning their attention, as always to each other. Whatever, Jace thought he was funny, and that was the important thing. He can and will laugh at his own jokes.

"What, are you planning on asking him to the ball?" Alec retorted, his lips smiling in a way that would have never happened even a year previous. Since the day Alec had arrived at Hogwarts and met Magnus, his confidence had been slowly going up in increments. After some two-odd years of dating, he'd even learned to make jokes about his boyfriends many suitors, a trait Jace truly found inspiring about his brother. He'd grown so strong in the past few years, dealt with so much and still came out as authentic Alec Lightwood as possible. He may wear green, but Jace could swear on Merlin himself he had a lion heart.

"Hm, I never kiss and tell, darling." He answered and Jace had to roll his eyes as the pair kissed. What absolute saps.

But those very saps did bring up an excellent point. The Yule Ball. Dates. Jace's mind immediately raced to who he would like to be his, but even his own cockiness couldn't bring up the situation in which a certain Gryffindor would say yes. Of course he'd try, but honestly? Aline Penhallow's deal was looking pretty sweet right now.

"Wait, rewind, Eagle-you said the egg worked underwater right? And Shiloh told you?" If Samuel knew, and now both Alec and Magnus knew then that only left one particular red head out of the loop. Jace was a fair man, he'd have to right the universe's wrongs. A burden no doubt, to have to seek out Clary Fray but he was a hero with a soft spot, what could he say?

After Magnus nodded, Jace was off, leaving his unfinished homework to tantalize his brother. Clary had been such a force on that field, such a mesmerizing figure weaving her way across that terrain, and Jace had no doubt that she could probably pack more of a punch then any dragon could. And the way she had hugged him when she got off…

No. He had analyzed and over-analyzed that moment far too much to be healthy and right now he had to focus on where in the world Clary Fray would be on a Saturday afternoon. It didn't take long to spot the familiar orange ponytail. It's just business, Jace thought as he called out to her, not personal. He'd help her because he was a good Samaritan with no ulterior motives. Easy.


	9. Chapter 9

Clary was by no means a party person. And not in the hipster, I-don't-get-invited-so-I-just-say-I-hate-them kind of way, the kind of hate that came from experience. Often times she'd wished to be more like Isabelle. Tall, suave, confident and the life of a party, but at this one in particular, she'd rather be like herself on a regular Friday night- reading, or in some nameless conversation with a certain blonde as the fire dwindled near them.

Instead she'd followed Isabelle and Lydia out, a party of sorts forming in the dark corridors behind the statue of the one-eyed wizard with an enchanted speaker spewing out what she assumed was either the weird sisters or a harsh melody of cackles placed between a thudding beat. Upon arrival Izzy had waved at what seemed like the whole crowd and rushed out and over to whatever was more interesting than the awkward but polite conversation that was now happening between Clary, and Lydia's friends. Lydia had seen the boy she'd recently been talking to and left Clary with a supportive arm squeeze, leaving Clary now trapped into conversation with a group of people she had absolutely nothing in common with.

Objectively speaking, Clary liked Lydia's friends. 'A friend of my friend' and all that; but something really bothered her about some of the company Lydia kept.

Meliorn was nice, but always seemed to have the expression of reproach on his face- as if he was constantly holding in a snide comment. He'd had a short lived thing with Isabelle, as it turned out, thus her immediate departure and something about that made Clary like him even less. Isabelle was a catch, only a fool would mess something like that up.

Next was Seelie. Seelie was commanding, elitist, and held the harshest vibe Clary had ever experienced, a trait Seelie seemed to wear as a cape. She thought the castle to be her own, and ruled it as such. In her opinion she wasn't just another student in a sea full of students- she was more like their Queen. She was only friendly when there was something to gain, and when there wasn't the person in question was no better than a jelly slug to her- something to chew and spit out.

And then there was Kaelie, who Clary knew she would click with in any other year than this. She was quiet until she had something worth saying, and didn't judge based upon looks as her friends did- granted she judged after, but props had to be given when considering her company. Regardless, every time Clary saw her pristine face, framed in a curtain of blonde hair she could only think about Jace's on her pale lips. It was no secret they'd been something of an 'item' just last year. And rationally Clary knew she didn't have the right to be mad about this- she and Jace were friends; just friends. And she hadn't even known him last year, just his reputation so it would make sense that he'd have other female company. Something in her just couldn't stop the distaste at the thought of Jace's mouth forming Kaelie's name the way he said Clary.

"And what are you doing after Hogwarts, Morgensten?" Seelie interrogated, her leafy-green eyes shooting daggers into Clary, as if upset about a question she herself had asked.

"Oh well uh, I'd thought about doing some work with the daily prophet, journalism, photography, and all that but now I'm leaning towards becoming an Auror." She stated proudly, the last conversation she'd had with Jace playing like a loop in her head. "-And I prefer Fray, if you would." She added as an afterthought.

Seelie seemed displeased with both these answers, a fact that didn't worry Clary but actually kind of angered her. Everyone knew Seelie and her posse to be pure-blood supremacists, but even that was no excuse to using her father's name on her like a weapon.

"hmmmmmm." She replied, her nose scrunching as if the mold that surrounded the corridor had finally reached her senses. "you'd think a daughter of Valentine would do more." And with that Seelie had turned, her regal head quipping slightly so that Meliorn would receive the message that it was time to rid themselves of such unfortunate company.

Clary stood there a little baffled, blinking slowly as if trying to process the events that had just unfolded. She'd known Seelie to be unpleasant but that was something new entirely.

"She doesn't mean it rudely, in fact, I actually think Seelie reckons she's being helpful."

Clary hadn't even remembered Kaelie's presence until she'd spoken, and with a small shake of her head Clary tried to process the words she'd missed. Kaelie was fairly nice, if not misguided on the principle of friendship.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really in the mood for any career advice." Clary replied, understating the mood entirely. She was only here to support Lydia and appease Izzy who had literally begged her to come out. And now she was conversing with Jace's somewhat ex with no Lydia or Isabelle in sight. Clary hated parties.

"That's reasonable." Kaelie seemed to not really care whether or not Clary was being hostile, her beady eyes searching the crowd instead. Maybe to follow Seelie and Meliorn, or maybe just to find anyone that would relieve her from talking to Clary Fray, but instead of going for the ole fake wave and walk away, she began speaking again. Her words somehow angering Clary more than Seelie ever could.

"Have you seen Jace Lightwood anywhere? I'd like to… talk to him." She said 'talk' like it was a dirty word and Clary felt her stomach do so many weird flips that Clary could have thrown up on the spot. She hadn't even drunk that much, but still she would attest that it had been the liquor to move the insides of her stomach like waves in a storm. Clary's own green eyes glazed over in a harsh resolve and answered Kaelie quickly, "no."

She was in no mood to help set Kaelie up with the middle Lightwood, the slight taste of firewhiskey on her lips or not. Kaelie seemed to remember who she was talking to, and momentarily regarded Clary with her full attention. An unwanted move, to say the least.

"You know it won't last don't you? I know Jace has taken an interest in you, but it's nothing more than the changing of a season. Once you're no longer the talk of the castle- no longer a champion, he'll forget who you are entirely. It's best you know now." She shrugged and her blonde hair bounced lightly at the movement. She was so small, smaller than Clary even but Clary had never felt so miniscule than in that moment. Not standing in a room full of strangers, not entering a Wizarding world she knew nothing about at age 11, and not even staring down a dragon. Something in the pit of her stomach told Clary to listen to Kaelie. What would Jace Lightwood want with her once she was no longer in the spotlight?

"Actually, I think it's none of your business." Clary responded, with more stele in her voice than she felt in her entire body. "And I'm not into Jace like that. Have fun on your man hunt." And with that Clary stalked past Kaelie, brushing shoulders ever so lightly due to Clary's blurred vision. Quickly, Clary did once-over of the room, and not seeing Isabelle or Lydia decided to leave solo. She'd rather not be there when Jace arrived and found a private corner for he and Kaelie. She'd rather have nightmares while asleep.

Clary took a moment to herself, to collect her bearings and pull it together. Clary Fray does not cry over boys; and she especially doesn't cry over Jace Lightwood. He only thought of her as the shiny new toy, and Clary really did not have time for games. So she wiped her eyes and found Lydia and John, and joined into their conversation halfheartedly. Her mind was still on Jace but in a new light.

They'd be friends-she liked that too much to throw it away but that's all they would be.

How hard was it really, to not fall in love with Jace Lightwood?

xx.

"Can I help you?"

Simon was very proud of his detective skills. Starting out as a young, fresh-faced, spectacled first year, he'd found the absolute perfect hole-in-the-wall abandoned classroom to not be bothered in. Hogwarts was a big castle, with many nooks and crannies, but for some reason finding a quiet area to do homework in took hours of dedication and investigative skills. Not to mention trial-and-error. The number of times Simon was just finishing up on an essay about Gamp's fundamental laws in some secluded classroom only to be interrupted by two people in the midst of a great display of passion was exponentially high. That's why this particular spot he'd held since he was eleven felt like his territory, and the shadow now blocking the direct light to Simon's parchment was trespassing.

"Slyvester!" The voice said, throaty and confident. He recognized it immediately, but unlike most of the female population at this school, didn't swoon because of it. Jace Lightwood was no exception to Simon's strict no bothering Simon rule. In fact he was probably the reason for the mandate.

"Simon, actually."

"whatever, what are you doing right now?" Jace dismissed the physical evidence in front of him that explained his question in painstaking detail. Simon looked at him like a rogue madman from Azkaban.

"Diffusing a pipe bomb, obviously." The quill in his hand came to rest at Simon's side as he finally glanced up. Jace looked as he always did; rugged but with that air of not caring. But this time he was significantly more put together. A black shirt with no holes or crinkles made his golden skin stand out like a billboard, and his golden hair was slicked back in a fashion that reminded Simon of GQ…. Not that he had ever read GQ.

Jace arched one eyebrow at him, thus reminding Simon that pure-bloods were notoriously clueless when it came to anything modern.

"There's a party that needs Jace-ing," at this Simon closed his eyes momentarily to hide the eye-roll, "why aren't you there?"

In some weird Jace-world, Simon knew this was an invitation. That in plain English what he had just said was 'I'm going to a party and would like to know if you'd come with me', but came out significantly douchier.

"Do you usually see me at parties?" Simon asked, matching Jace's quizzical look with one of his own.

"Oh I see. So you invite Magnus to take a bath with you, but when I extend an invitation to a fantastic party you shoot me down. You're only into dudes who have boyfriends. That's disgusting."

Simon spluttered, his face involuntarily rising in heat. Of course Magnus had told, Simon had literally asked him to tell Alec, and what Alec knew was instantly twin-telepathied to his wonder bro Jace. Out of context, Simon could see where his words could be misconstrued.

"That is not what I meant! It was a tip about the egg this is not-I'm not interested in Magnus. Or you, for that matter." He'd meant it to sound tougher, like how Jace could spin anything to sound like a threat, but instead he just felt whiny.

Jace rolled his multi-colored eyes, his arms crossing in a manner that said he was bored of this particular conversation. Clearly he didn't care who Simon bathed with.

"I find that hurtful. Everyone is interested in me. Now come on, Simon, I like to be fashionably late but this is just getting rude." He turned then, starting out towards the corridor and only waiting a fraction of a second to utter his last chance at roping Simon into this party.

"Isabelle is there, you know." And his golden hair was gone. Turned a corner and out of sight. Well, momentarily out of sight. In a few seconds Simon had caught up, his homework safely in his bag and stored for later. What was one party…

The party was the exact same as any other one George had dragged him to, except this time Simon didn't have his best friend to helicopter around in awkward social situations. This time he had Jace, and a large stack of Manga in his bag that assured him just as a friend might. There were small, see through glasses everywhere; in the hands of students, floating around like an invisible waiter was bringing them, and finally near the mothership- a large vat of what Simon could already smell was firewhiskey.

Jace made an entrance as he always did, turning many heads as his angular cheeks stretched thinner to form what others must consider a 'charming' smile. He said a few spotted hellos and such but even then Simon could tell that he too was somewhat out of his element. Alec and Magnus, he'd explained, were not coming on account of they didn't want to and Isabelle was already here. So instead of moving as he always did with his mysterious Lightwood herd he was forced into a one-on-one with Simon Lewis. If it were Jace's job to rank the champions, Simon would be dead last, which ironically was already the case.

"Let your hair down, Lewis." Jace gave him a once-over out of the corner of his eye and dragged Simon farther into the party, his golden eyes clearly roaming for something, or someone in particular. Simon had already seen his someone, but judging by the crowd she had around her, she didn't much care whether Simon was in her company or not.

Begrudgingly Simon stuck with Jace, which lasted all of about two minutes before a 5'2 blonde girl took over the remaining space near Jace. He had seemed frustrated but talked with her anyway, leaving Simon the perfect getaway.

The second his eyes had left Isabelle he had seen another friendly face, one he wouldn't mind dodging social situations with.

"Hey, George!" Simon called, apologizing his way through the crowd. George Lovelace looked as if he'd come straight out of a surfing magazine. With his long, wavy, golden brown hair and his tan skin that only seemed to glow brighter despite the fact that the sun was a ghost behind the now falling snow. George was the perfect example of 'don't judge a book by its cover' because when he had first been introduced to his housemate he'd assumed immediately that this would be one of those egotistical 'I know I'm attractive and you, sir, aren't' types. Instead, he'd received an altruistic, loyal best friend. Go figure.

"Simon! I didn't know you were coming!"

"That makes two of us." Simon agreed, about to open his mouth and continue on with a tirade of why they should leave immediately. Instead a much lighter voice responded, chiming like bells in a soft breeze.

"Three of us, actually." It was Isabelle.

For a second, Simon was stunned. She looked radiating, with her thigh high black boots and dark ensemble that hugged her perfect form tightly. She had her hair pulled back and dark shadows above her eyes that made the elusive Isabelle Lightwood all that more mysterious. She was beautiful. Undeniably, and objectively stunning. And then Simon remembered what his mother had always told him about staring. He turned to look at George instead who he thankfully found much less jaw-dropping. No offense to his best friend.

"I just lost a bet as it turns out, I didn't think Jace would be able to convince you." She was smiling in a way that made heat rise in Simon's cheeks. It was playful, but not entirely innocent. Like the cat who ate the canary with an angel's face.

"Am I the topic of a lot of bets?" He asked it sarcastically but something in his stomach fluttered. Did the Lightwoods talk about Simon frequently? Until this year Simon knew that if someone asked one of the four in that group to pick out a 'Simon Lewis' from the crowd they'd fail and probably choose one of the sewer rats to name after him, and now somehow he was a topic of discussion at the dinner table? Talk about a brave new world.

"Only ones I usually win." Isabelle responded, and Simon didn't doubt that. Frankly he was surprised anyone would bet against her at all.

George and Izzy exchanged introductions while a tall girl Simon knew was a fifth year approached their congregation and looped her arm around George's waist. Simon looked as his friend with an amused expression, trying to convey his best mixture of 'you didn't tell me?' and 'kudos'. She smiled brightly at the group, waving politely as George started on names.

"Jaelyn! Hey, these are my friends Simon and Isabelle"—Simon gave a small wave while Izzy politely nodded her head, "and guys, this is Jaelyn. I've asked her to be date to the Yule ball." George added proudly. Simon smiled bright, it was nice to see someone as deserving as George so happy. Even if it was for an event that Simon was currently running around like a headless chicken for.

"Congrats, man! And my condolences to you, Jaelyn." George playfully swatted at Simon's arm and as the music increased in volume Jaelyn let out a short, "I love this song!" and dragged Simon's roommate out and away. Not that George minded, and not that Simon would object to being alone with Isabelle.

"Before you say anything, let me guess the color of your dress for the yule ball." Isabelle said, her dark eyes shining with humor. Clearly she had caught the Yule Ball mention just as he had.

"Red, it really brings out my eyes."

"Well, one of us is going to have to change. I won't be seen in matching outfit, it's tacky." She smiled again, that disarming smile that Simon could get lost in for days. Something deep in his chest fixed uneasily at the thought of Isabelle and some nameless man at the dance. Talking, laughing, dancing with his hands on her waist…

It was futile to think this. Isabelle was an independent person who would do what she wants, when she wants and her date would be no exception. It just sucked that the only person he could even think of going with was probably already paired off with some hunky seventh-year who was probably named Chad, or whose biceps were bigger than Simon's head.

He laughed at her joke regardless, his eyes momentarily drawn to a point just over her shoulder where he could see Clary Fray and Jace Lightwood talking animatedly. He couldn't see Jace's angular face but Clary's was red, and even from afar he could see her green eyes shining as if with tears. She shook her head once at something and then pushed past him, heading for the door. Simon felt sad for the strong girl who too had been disarmed by the Lightwood charm. He could attest to its power, and its alluring, playful gazes… or maybe that was just Isabelle, but merlin did she have a way of making a stumbling man trip. Jace just stood there mildly dazed and watching Clary leave with a sad expression.

Who knew he even had feelings?

Apparently Alec and Magnus who did not want to come, had come anyway and were heading over to where Izzy was flagging them down.

"I uh- I actually have to go, for a second, I'll be right back." He said to Izzy, physically pulling himself away from her as he pushed through the crowd and trailed that little red head. She left the party and out into the open corridor and was about to climb the stairs when Simon called out to her.

"Wait, Clary!" He shouted, catching up to her just as she paused on the first step.

In that moment Simon realized the gravity of his mistake. What the hell was he going to say to her?


End file.
